The Stars of the Show
July 7th, 2010
Of all the avifauna of Outer Banks, none capture my heart like the Black Skimmers. Ternlike birds with striking, huge black and red bills, they fly low, dragging their oversized lower mandibles in the water. They're 16-20 inches perched, but in flight, they look a lot bigger than that, with a wingspan of up to four feet. The first time I saw one I couldn't believe my eyes.
On Sunday afternoon, three of them gave me an extended show at Pea Island salt marsh. They flew quite close to me as they circled around skimming the water, allowing me to snap dozens of pictures.
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You can see this bird's strangest feature above--the lower mandible is about a third longer than the upper.
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This is the classic skimmer posture. The lower mandible skims in shallow water feeling for fish and crustaceans. They'll fly along some distance like that, leaving a little wake behind them. I see them most often on salt marshes and sounds, but they also skim the ocean surf. (A few years ago a pair of them did that right outside our cottage!)
When they find food, they double their bills back to catch it.
The one behind appears to be a juvenile: note the white collar and other imperfections of his plumage.
July 7th, 2010
Of all the avifauna of Outer Banks, none capture my heart like the Black Skimmers. Ternlike birds with striking, huge black and red bills, they fly low, dragging their oversized lower mandibles in the water. They're 16-20 inches perched, but in flight, they look a lot bigger than that, with a wingspan of up to four feet. The first time I saw one I couldn't believe my eyes.
On Sunday afternoon, three of them gave me an extended show at Pea Island salt marsh. They flew quite close to me as they circled around skimming the water, allowing me to snap dozens of pictures.
1680x1050 wallpaper
You can see this bird's strangest feature above--the lower mandible is about a third longer than the upper.
1680x1050 wallpaper
This is the classic skimmer posture. The lower mandible skims in shallow water feeling for fish and crustaceans. They'll fly along some distance like that, leaving a little wake behind them. I see them most often on salt marshes and sounds, but they also skim the ocean surf. (A few years ago a pair of them did that right outside our cottage!)
When they find food, they double their bills back to catch it.
The one behind appears to be a juvenile: note the white collar and other imperfections of his plumage.
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