ML236458051
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
Very rare in Baton Rouge (only one prior record in eBird). Photographed in challenging lighting as I was on foot on the W side of University Lake, therefore mostly looking into the morning sun. First spotted ~7:15 AM and still present when I wrapped up this list at 8:10 AM. It turns out that they lingered here all day, as I saw them again in the mid-afternoon and again right before sunset (7:54 pm), tirelessly circling the lake for the duration of each observation period. I saw three dips to the surface of the water in quick succession, otherwise it seemed to be fruitless surveying. Often loosely associated with one another and typically up above tree height, higher than the Least Terns. Mostly silent but I finally heard one calling at dusk. An evenly gray-backed tern with a darker wedge of outer primaries (from above), most noticeable at the break with the paler inner primaries. From below, a rather coarse trailing edge to to the outer primaries. The solidly gray upperparts and gray body made the birds' contrastingly white rump and cheek stand out. Long, forked tail with dark outer webs to the outer rectrices visible in the photos. Bright red bill with a black tip and black-capped.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS 7D Mark II
- Lens
- EF400mm f/5.6L USM
- ISO
- 500
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/800 sec
- Dimensions
- 1464 pixels x 1042 pixels
- Original file size
- 790.37 KB