BIRDING TO THE EDG

The Black Skimmer is one of three skimmers world-wide, but the only one of its kind here in the United States. They are related to terns, but are very different in other ways. They breed coastally on the eastern seaboard and southern California. They are usually resident in their areas, but will wander inland during the winter in search of better food sources with less competition.

I have always found this species amazing! Just look at the bill! The lower mandible is longer that the maxilla. They use the protruded lower mandible to "skim" the surface of the water for food going by touch only, not sight. Once they sense a fish on the bill they snap it shut. Very cool! I got to watch this for quite a while and with light fading in the day very quickly, I was very happy to have my Nikon EDG binoculars around my neck. The new Di-electric coatings really seem to give this glass a, "BURST," of light so to speak. Big time help!

This species is a large-sized, tern-like bird with long pointed wings. Principally black dorsally and white ventrally, the bird is striking from even a far distance. There is no sexual dimorphism, so determining male/female would be a guess. Adults have a completely black back, but notice the hind-neck/nape of the skimmers in these photos. This indicates winter adult Black Skimmers! They are crepuscular and can be seen actively feeding at dusk most often. They breed in colonies and often enough you will see a group together at a sandbar sometimes up to 30 birds or more. Skimmers fly in unison making sharp angled turns very effectively. While sitting they hold their bodies very low and parallel to the ground with their bills almost reaching the ground and slightly tipped.

Their wing beats can most applicably be characterized as, "firm." They are slower with their upbeat and then force down hard with the wing beat going down. Very distinctive flight once you build up time in the field watching these vibrant birds.


As I mentioned above, notice the exact body position these two birds exhibit. These two were flying together as I watched them for over an hour. They never missed a beat in unison.

Birds that depend on coastal areas always deal with over-developing residential areas as a plight to their population. These gorgeous birds were once hunted for their feathers, but with the fallout of that practice their numbers are recovering and seem to be stable. Of course, we always want to keep an eye on how things are going and avoid complacency as a society. Given they depend on beaches, estuaries, and inland bays these areas are always susceptible to human development.

These birds were shot using a Nikon 500 mm F4 VR lens and a Nikon D300. The site is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge while visiting the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival. Furthermore, check out our new website for Nikon Birding! We will be building this website from here on out so please jump on and see what our nationally-known prostaffers are up to!