Lines of Force

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Sooty terns in flight, French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii

Taken on Tern Island, Northwest Hawaiian Islands on March 13th, 2009

In 2009 I had the pleasure of volunteering for one month in the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Sanctuary in Hawaii. I was stationed during that time on the aptly named Tern Island, where every year approximately 160,000 Sooty Terns (plus 20 other seabird species) come to lay their eggs. I loved the Sooties because of their sheer numbers, striking patterns, cheerful calls, and curious dispositions. Many times while out and about on the tiny island, I’d turn around to find a Sooty hovering a foot or less behind me head, chirruping away.

 

Eye Candy

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Tern Island beach, French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii

Behind the scenes of this photo


Taken on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals, Northwest Hawaiian Islands on March 11th, 2009

When I had the opportunity to visit Tern Island, a tiny coral speck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I had one image and one image only in mind that I wanted to capture while I was there: an image of puffy white clouds in a deep blue sky floating above crystal-clear, aquamarine waters. So imagine my delight when the ideal conditions rolled in a mere week after I’d been on the island. And as it turns out, I was extremely lucky to get the image I did, for even though I stayed on the island for another three weeks, this combination of perfect clouds and color never repeated itself.