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Black-naped Tern

 Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia. 24 October 2017
EOS 7D mk II with EF 100-400mmf5.6 II
ISO 1600 1/640 sec @f10

The northern shore of this splendid island at the southern end of Great Barrier Reef was supposed to be the place for a small colony of Black-naped Terns that are probably the rarest breeding species on that island but we didn't find any there. The western shore was more productive and for this photo we had walked over there to watch the sunset, whereupon just as the sun was sinking fast towards the horizon, I noticed these birds on the rocks not too far away.

So I tried a cautious approach, gradually getting nearer and nearer. These birds didn't seem too bothered, in common with all the other birds on this island that were remarkably tame. I just managed to get close enough for this photo before the sun sank into cloud, so the golden tones of the pre-dusk period show up well. This is one of the few photos showing both birds in a similar pose.