the season has begun; scrapes, nests, eggs. soon chicks...
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lots of activity on the rocks along the ocean's edge. males and females sit and then "mingle." Mingle with a fish and sometimes things advance, or sometimes the female takes the fish and "skedaddles!"
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Common terns beak to beak pursuing a food exchange and courtship behavior.
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i just loved the puff of feathers after a preen...
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This balancing act is the prelude to eventual copulation... Often the less experienced terns need to practice a bit before things fall into place. Sometimes this balancing act can last for a few minutes when finally the female "buckles" and the male hops off. This is an absolute full frame image taken from a blind, This week, there will be hundreds of eggs... Chicks to follow in 23-25 days!
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