The only bird I have seen dive faster was a Peregrine Falcon. And really once you hit these speeds who cares.
These images should be viewed on a full screen, full size. I caught this Tern diving straight down into a marsh and followed him with my longest lens. They hover, then plunge like a bullet.
Click, or double tap, to view in the gallery.
White Lightening, Tern – click to enlarge
White Lightening, Tern – click to enlarge
White Lightening, Tern – click to enlarge
The dive ended into the reeds hidden from me. Even so the dive is pretty amazing to see.
Terrific photos. What acrobats they are!
Usually Terns stay around the shore but with the size of the marshes here some will fish inland too. Most of my attempts are complete misses. Very lucky to get these 😀