Nickerson Beach, Long Island, New York is home for Common terns in the summer. The grass laid sand dunes provide the perfect habitat for the flock to raise their young. Even though there is a rope to keep the humans out, the terns seem to not obey the traffic signs.

A peaceful Common tern mom was sitting on her nest, giving her vogue pose. Her nest was located just inside the rope line, a rather vulnerable location.

If a human gets too close for comfort to the terns, they make sure they give you a warning and promptly begin dive bombing. Some nearly hitting your head. So a new tactic had to come into play. Laying in the soft sand, and wearing beach colored clothing I slowly crawled towards the peaceful tern so that I could get her to fill the frame.

We sat there her and eye, watching each other, knowing that neither was a threat. We spent this private month together as if there was no one else in the world.

Then something caused her to flush up, what it was I’ll never know. But it gave me a chance to escape without disturbing her, and a glimpse of the treasure she was hiding below.