There are some birds at the Rogue estuary that are called terns. At first glance, I thought they were seagulls, but they’re not. My friend, Christine Mack, says that when they’re in flight they look like a cross between a seagull and a hummingbird. There are several species and, in this case, the species I’m seeing most of are what are called “Least Terns.”

I’m still learning about them, but I believe most species of terns are migratory and are only here for a few weeks in the spring when they’re on their way further north to nest in Canada and Alaska. Then they’re back for few weeks in the fall when they’re flying south to South America, or wherever. But there are thousands of them in the port, here in Gold Beach, now.

The ones I’ve been photographing, called Least Terns, are not very large birds. They maybe have an eight or ten inch wingspan.

They fly out over the Rogue estuary, darting back and forth and making turns that are so abrupt they look more like billiard balls bouncing off the rail of a pool table than a bird changing direction. They’re looking for small fish that are swimming near the surface. When they see one they think they can catch, they zoom to the water like a dart and splash in. And if they catch something, they emerge with a two- to four-inch-long fish that looks like a sardine.

I’ve been trying to get some good photos of them actually catching something but, so far, I haven’t gotten any decent photos of them catching anything.

I’ll be posting more photos, soon.

Here a tern is diving toward the water…

Splash!

It’s emerged from the drink.

It caught nothing, this time.