Royal tern in flight captured with the Nikon Z9

I spent most of last week in San Diego, leading my annual Southern California birding & wildlife workshop. It was my first real test of the new Nikon Z9 and Nikon 100-400mm S lens. The camera and lens combo performed flawlessly, tracking the fast-moving royal terns along the coast as they circled the rocky shore, looking for a landing spot.

Image Specs

• Nikon Z9
• 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Nikkor + Nikon Z teleconverter 1.4x
• 1/2500s f/9, ISO 1400
• Hand-held