Least Terns were a blast this year!

There was a very decent size Least Terns colony neighboring the Black Skimmers colony this year. Among the smallest Terns, those little guys are very interesting to observe and their pre-mating ritual is one of the funniest! See the short video on this blog 🙂

It is typically fairly challenging to photograph Least Terns… It is a small bird that is not always very successful at maintaining its nesting colony on the beach. In fact, more often than not they end up nesting on roof tops nowadays. They are easily predated upon by crows and gulls. Hence, it was a nice surprise to find near a hundred pair of birds nesting close to the Black Skimmers this year. The image above is a young chick wiggling its wings in front of mom.

The short video above depicts the few minutes before coupling. The birds start a lookout parade, making sure that nobody is coming close so that they will not get interrupted. They will do this for sometimes up to ten minutes!! Then, when the moment seems right, the male will hop on and pass down his fish to the female. The love making is short and sweet. The chicks will typically pop their head out about three to four weeks later.

And all that while keeping an eye on the Black Skimmers action. See above for an adult squawking while banking in flight.

Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090

June 8th-9th 2024 / limit 6 people – 3 open

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,490

April 20th-21st 2024 / limit 5 people – 3 open

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,590

January 13th-14th 2024 / limit 5 people – 2 open

February 10th-11th 2024 / limit 5 people – Full

March 23rd-24th 2024 / limit 5 people – 5 open

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .