blp shabash 430x45
Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

  • You are here:  
  • Home
  • Show Image

Greater Crested Tern

Greater Crested Tern (Image ID 45142)
Photographed byMichael Hamel-Green on Wed 24th Feb, 2021 and uploaded on Fri 5th Mar, 2021 .
Resolution1122x1400
Viewed535
ID45142
Comment“Turn! Turn! Turn! To everything there is a season” sang Pete Seeger, taking his words from Ecclesiastes. Tern! Tern! Tern! is what met my eyes on my first post-lockdown visit to the Werribee Treatment Plant. Thousands of terns. On my previous visit last spring, seemingly a life ago in the halcyon months before the onset of the pandemic and lockdowns, the Werribee wetlands were teeming with Whiskered Terns, excitedly diving and dipping as they feasted on the giant mosquitoes nurtured by the nutriments to be found in Melbourne’s waste water. Now, revisiting at the end of summer, on a grey morning, I found the coastal fringe teaming with GreaterCrested Terns, many of them juveniles, as in the case of this one, taking off with a fish, near Kirk Point. The white spotted forehead and dark-edged wings mark it out as a youngster, while its yellow beak distinguishes it as a Greater rather Lesser Crested Tern. The words from Ecclesiastes include: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…a time to break down, and a time to build up…A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace”, with Seeger adding at the end “a time of peace…I swear it's not too late”. So, for everything there is a season, and now is the season for Crested Terns and Covid Vaccinations - some light at the end of the tunnel. To see these Greater Crested Terns gathering and taking to the air with such freedom, beauty, and grace, was heartening indeed. I swear it’s not too late.
EquipmentNikonZ7ii Nikon 300mm f4 PF TC1.4 420mm ISO 1250 1/2500th f8
LocationWestern Treatment Plant, Werribee, Victoria
Keywordsjuvenile, feeding/with prey, in flight
You already have an outstanding request to download this image for non-commercial purposes. You may cancel this request by clicking on the button below and waiting for confirmation that your request has been noted. When you have selected all the images that you require, go to 'My Download Requests' (under Photo Gallery) and submit your request by clicking 'Edit/Submit' and filling out the details. You will be advised of the result by email. Note that cookies MUST be enabled for this to work.
You may request download of this image for non-commercial purposes. A request that meets the usage rights of this image will be automatically approved; a request that does not meet the usage rights will be refused, but may (at the Download Manager's discretion) be referred to the photographer. The usage rights of this image are: Any non-commercial use by any requestor, including personal use. For further details of image usage rights, see here. Request the image by clicking on the button below and waiting for confirmation that your request has been noted. When you have selected all the images that you require, go to 'My Download Requests' (under Photo Gallery) and submit your request by clicking 'Edit/Submit' and filling out the details. You will be advised of the result by email. Note that cookies MUST be enabled for this to work.
Previous20674/31636 in Main LibraryNext
Previous141/999 by Michael Hamel-GreenNext
Previous140/237 of Greater Crested TernNext
Previous775/1214 of Gulls, Terns and NoddiesNext
Previous21385/34508 OverallNext
Use the arrows at the left and Right hand side of this page to display the Next/Previous photographs in that group, or click on one of the blue links above to start a slide show in that group (group slide shows are only allowed if there are less than 1000 images in the group).

CONTACT US

The easiest way to contact us is by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Our People page, in the About Us section, contains email links to each of the committee members.