{"id":22193,"date":"2026-06-05T07:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psnp.info\/p4td_\/?p=22193"},"modified":"2026-06-05T07:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:57:15","slug":"eye-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psnp.info\/p4td_\/?p=22193","title":{"rendered":"Eye level"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Least Tern: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 \u2014 Terns are fast and agile and just predictable enough to be fun to photograph in the air\u2014or to attempt to photograph in the air. When defending their nests, they will attack anything that moves, whether it is a threat or not. I do my best not to be a threat\u2014staying well away from the protected area of the dunes where they nest and only making eye contact from a distance. And of course, I have never, ever, taken an egg or harassed a chick. You would think they would know that by now. And yet they are on me before I know it, coming in from behind. What I do not do is immediately retreat, at least until I get a few photos as they wheel around me and come back in at eye level, swooping up only at the last moment. A few shots, and then I do turn my back and move on. And not often, once a week at most. It is my deal with the terns. And each year, I get a handful of photos that catch just a bit of the energy and elegance of these amazing birds. Be kind to them if you share their beach, and you will be rewarded with their endless aerial acrobatics and the sense of living grace. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 600mm equivalent field of view. Program with flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator. <\/p>\n

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