Skimming...

Home after a twelve hour day so going to make this quick.  Down to the Jersey shore for an Audubon field trip where I added four new birds to my "life list" and got to see some favorites.  One of my all time favorite birds while I was in Florida were the black skimmers. More than once, I've attempted to photograph them "skimming" always with mediocre results.

Today, I took over 100 shots of skimmers skimming and I've randomly selected this one.  I will be back later with a link to some other shots from the day, but for now...

Cheers
Debbi

7/26 - Back with a little more info.  For the day, I personally saw 61 species of birds; some of the others in the group had more as they were able to hear/see things I missed.  Not bad for a day, though.  First time birds for me: peregrine falcon, gull-billed tern, whimbrel, and seaside sparrow.  


But the biggest treat, for me, was having a chance to watch the black skimmers flying along the saltwater canals in the marsh, giant lower bills trailing in the water and they glided mere inches above the surface and speeds that would make Formula 1 proud.  They have extremely sensitive receptors on their bills, allowing them to snap that massive beak closed the moment something touches it.  Amazing to watch and my one regret is that the photos I got of one coming up with a fish was just not exposed well and wasn't really fixable.  If you're on FB and want to see a selection of shots from the day, I put up a public album HERE.  You don't have to be "friends" with me to view it.