Least Tern: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — The Least Terns on our local beach have gotten serious about defending nesting territories. Though I stay well away from the strings set out by Fish and Game for their protection, they are still intent on using me for target practice. Two can play that game and I use the opportunity to practice my birds-in-flight…I was going to say “skills” but that implies that there is skill involved when mostly it is just a matter of taking your chances often enough so that you come home with some results that are worth processing…with a few “keepers”. Mostly I find that after their initial alarm and half a dozen passes at me, they settle back down to their nest sites…there are no eggs yet…and if they do not then I move on. I do have a growing collection of white spots on my hat. If I count my keepers and the spots I think the Terns and I are coming out about even. I should point out that this is all taking place on a popular tourist beach, with folks in beach chairs and on blankets all around me, so the Terns do not lack for targets. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.