I recently joined a small group of photographers to get images of baby Black Skimmers. Even though is was a dreary rainy day I was still able to get some great images. The birds nest in a group on the sand at the beach. The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary which happens to be close by has cordoned off the nesting area to keep people back a reasonable distance. The birds create a shallow depression on the sand and then lay their eggs.
The chicks are the color of the sand so you have to look closely to see them. But with time and patience (and staying low and still) you can get images of the chicks interacting with the adults and other chicks. Also, the adults will bring in small fish which the chicks swallow whole.
If you find a nesting site be sure to stay back and stay low as the adults will fly at you and peck your head defending their young. Also, move slowly and avoid floppy apparel as the last thing you want is to scare the adults away and leave the chicks alone as they are defenseless. There are always predators waiting for an opportunity.
So far this part of Florida has not been affected by the oil gusher, so we can only hope that these birds live to breed and raise more chicks in the future.
See some more Skimmer and other shorebirds images at my website.
That's all for now!
Lynn W.
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