Westbound - a photo on Flickriver

Westbound

            On a morning breakfast run, a pair of backlit white terns head out to sea.  Manu-o-Kū are not as gregarious as other terns, however, I observed a ternery of fourteen birds on this morning squawking and flying around a narra tree, perhaps mobbing a predator that was unseen by me.  The manu-o-Kū, or white tern, is an arboreal nesting seabird that thrives in urban Honolulu.  Adults fish up to 120 miles offshore and return with fresh provisions rather than devouring then regurgitating a meal for their chick.  This avian behavior was known to Polynesian voyagers and other seafarers.  A landfall that may be out of view over the horizon could be located by following these birds conveying their catch back to their nestling.  

During his voyage on the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin observed white terns at Cocos Island inspiring the naturalist to journal, “It is a small snow-white tern, which smoothly hovers at the distance of a few feet above one’s head, its large black eye scanning, with quiet curiosity, your expression.  Little imagination is required to fancy that so light and delicate a body must be tenanted by some wandering fairy spirit.”

Taken in: United States / Hawaii / Kakaako (show map)

Taken on: January 11, 2024

Tags:

bird

seabird

tern

white tern

gygis

Gygis alba

piscivore

pelagic bird

birds of Hawaii

Hawaiian bird

Hawaii

Oahu

Pacific

avian behavior

WHTT

GYGALB

war god

tropical island

manu

bird in flight

BIF

seabird in flight

angel tern

white noddy

respect wildlife « less

Groups appears in: • Wildlife Photography • Nature and Landscapes more » • Seabirds • Birding In The Wild • Wild Bird Photography • National Geographic Your Shot ALUMNI « less

Camera: Canon EOS R5, f/11.0, 1/6400 sec, 500mm, ISO 2500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R5
Lens:	RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	1/6400 sec
Focal Length:	500mm
ISO:	2500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 20.0 (Windows)
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