Royal Tern Courtship
May 1, 2023 - Especially in mid-April when a flock of Royal Terns hangs out on the new sandbar.... Read more
Royal Tern
 | I’m one of the birds that you’ll find on Florida’s beaches year round. I have a distinctive orange beak. Try to photograph me with a fish in my mouth! Most Likely Found: At the beach When: Year-Round Where I've photographed: Black Skimmer Colonies, Fort De Soto, Sanibel Island Read more: Royal Tern at Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ebird: Royal Tern eBird range |
I have written 20 posts including a photo of a Royal Tern
Taking Turns Making Terns!
August 1, 2021 - Royal Terns These birds chose a less photogenic location - an icky brown mud flat!... Read more
Magical Morning at Fort De Soto
May 25, 2021 - This pair of Royal Terns wasn't at all shy about starting their family!... Read more
2019: Photographic Year in Review
December 31, 2019 - Beach photography at Fort De Soto: Black-bellied Plover in flight, Red Knot, Royal Tern courtship, Least Tern courtship, Black Skimmers, Black-bellied Plover in breeding plumage For years I've read about the famous Cape Coral Burrowing Owls, and this year we finally made the trip down there.... Read more
Bath Time for Shorebirds at Fort De Soto
June 12, 2019 - The Royal Terns said goodbye as they continued to splash in the waves.... Read more
Early May Shorebirds at Fort De Soto
May 28, 2019 - The Royal Terns were very active that morning.... The Royal Terns weren't the only terns with courtship on the brain.... Read more
It’s Skimmer Time Again!
May 10, 2019 - This pair of Royal Terns got inspired by all the nesting skimmers.... I haven't yet photographed Royal Tern chicks...maybe this year will be the year!... Read more
Seashells and Shorebirds at Sanibel Beach
May 5, 2019 - Royal Tern in Flight As we meandered down the beach, we came across a colony of nesting Least Terns.... Shorebirds in Flight - Least Terns, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, and a Laughing Gull Least Tern courtship is all about the fish.... Read more
Seahorse Surprise at Fort De Soto
January 4, 2017 - Royal Tern Mom and Juvenile One of the Ring-billed Gulls stood apart.... Read more
Other Birds at the Black Skimmer Colony
June 2, 2015 - Royal Terns Mating "nuh-uh-nuh-uh"....uh-oh....it's the tell-tale sign of hanky-panky going on!... Read more
Beach Bird Heuristics for Rich
May 10, 2014 - I got some great images of the Royal Terns mating a few weekends ago.... Read more
Royal Tern Courtship
May 3, 2014 - I never guessed that Royal Tern courtship was going to full in full swing, and I'd be at just the right place at just the right time!... That's when I learned something great about Royal Tern courtship.... Read more
Juvenile Shorebirds from Last Summer
February 13, 2014 - This Royal Tern parent was about as sympathetic to her desperate offspring as the Sandwich Tern.... Read more
Cue the Yawn!
September 14, 2012 - This Royal Tern seems to understand how I feel at the end of the week.... Read more
Time to Grow Up!
September 11, 2012 - ...While photographing the terns at Fort De Soto over Labor Day weekend, I heard the incessant fussing of a hungry juvenile. It didn’t take me long to spot the fusser, who looked all spiffy in his fresh juvenal plumage. (Adult shorebirds at this time of year have worn feathers, and are easily distinguished from their […] Read more
Escape to Fort De Soto
April 23, 2012 - ...Rich and I took a much-needed day off from work last Friday and escaped to Fort De Soto for a weekend photography adventure. We were glad we went Thursday night, which allowed us to get in one day of photography before the rains came. And of course, we missed the terrific migrant activity that the […] Read more
More from the North Beach Shores at Fort De Soto…
March 30, 2012 - Wilson's Plover A bunch of Royal Terns, Laughing Gulls, and a couple of Sandwich Terns stood in a group. Then a group of Black Skimmers flew in. Everybody looked so snazzy in their emerging breeding colors. It was a little early for breeding behavior, but that will be happening soon...... Read more
Early Fall Migrants at Fort De Soto
July 24, 2011 - I think the Royal Terns were the most plentiful, followed by the Sandwich Terns. They are hard to identify at this time of year because they are starting to molt into their basic plumage, and because there are a lot of first-year birds in their juvenal plumage.... Read more
Quiet Morning at Fort De Soto
March 12, 2011 - Laughing Gull There were a couple of Royal Terns (right ID?) in the flock of gulls. A pair of two terns stood aside from the crowd, keeping to themselves.... Royal Tern The Brown Pelicans are attractive at this time of year in their breeding colors. I didn't have as many…... Read more