ML194502471

Age and sex

Immature Unknown sex - 1

Observation details

A small, strikingly black and white tern with a small, fine, all black bill. The bird had a much darker blackish grey upper surface on back, wings, and tail than other more locally common small terns (Common and Arctic). The upper surface was not uniformly coloured - it was patchy with darker patches, but all of the feathers on the mantle were darker than those on Common and Arctic Terns. The bird was obviously small (appeared significantly smaller than Common and Arctic Terns) and flew very erratically, dipping and diving in the marsh and among the marsh vegetation. The bird had a smudgy, darkish cap on the rear of its crown and a solid, dark mark extending down behind the eyes. It also had some dark smudgy markings extending down onto its flanks/side of the neck. Photo attached.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 80D

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

400

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

1706 pixels x 1137 pixels

Original file size

1.56 MB