• About
  • Village Teacher
  • Photography
  • Red Rock Country
  • EBF Refuge
  • Big Sur

neihtn

~ Books & Photographs

neihtn

Tag Archives: black skimmer

Black Skimmers Catching Fish

29 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by neihtn2012 in EBF Refuge, Photography

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

black skimmer, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

For the past five years I have watched and photographed Black Skimmers draw straight lines with their bills on the marsh water at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, always wondering if they ever catch anything. They must, since they still exist and are actually thriving. Here’s a shot of a bunch of them yesterday.

Black Skimmers.

Following is a closer look from a week ago.

Black Skimmers.

They skim the water anywhere there may be fish, even right next to other birds.

Black Skimmer cruising by a Snowy Egret.

The following series of shots shows one that finally got a fish on camera!

Black Skimmer.

Black Skimmer.

Black Skimmer.

Black Skimmer: “Caught one!”

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Black Skimmers

07 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by neihtn2012 in EBF Refuge, Photography

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

black skimmer, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

A flock of Black Skimmers, those amazing birds that draw perfectly straight lines with their beaks on the water as they look for fish, was parked on a sand bar at the refuge. They were quite far away from me, and those that were fishing were flying fast.

Black Skimmers.

Two Black Skimmers.

Two Black Skimmers. The one in front must have just missed a fish.

Here’s a picture of one that I took last year.

Black Skimmer 2017.

Here’s one from 2015 where the straight line is seen clearly.

Black Skimmer in action

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Bird Diversity

16 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by neihtn2012 in EBF Refuge, Photography

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

black skimmer, peacock, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird, snow goose, snowy egret

Going through some unpublished photos I took over the last few months, I am struck by the many different kinds of birds that live in our small part of New Jersey. Here’s how diversity looks among birds.

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird.

Black Skimmer.

Snow Geese. They are not all white.

Peacock.

Snowy Egret.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Black Skimmers

12 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by neihtn2012 in EBF Refuge, Photography

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

black skimmer, edwin b forstythe national wildlife refuge, photography, postaday

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

The Black Skimmer has a most unusual bill among birds, with the lower mandible longer than the upper one. It uses it to skim over water in search of small fish. When the lower mandible senses a prey, the upper one clamps down.

As it hunts for food, Black Skimmers leave amazingly perfect straight lines on the water surface as seen in the following photos. Two days ago, a pair of Black Skimmers put on an aerial show and spent several minutes flying back and forth in front of me. However, they did not seem to catch anything that I could see.

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer ready to begin skimming

I heard the sound of fish jumping in the water, probably scared by the skimming action, but maybe they were too big for these birds to catch.

Black Skimmer in action

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmers and Seagulls

Black Skimmers and Laughing Seagulls

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • Young Squirrel
  • February Thaw
  • The Siege of An Lộc – New Review by Meta
  • Village Teacher – New Review
  • Is Spring Coming?

Archives

  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • September 2013
  • June 2012

Categories

  • Acadia National Park
  • barnegat
  • Big Sur
  • Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
  • Bombay Hook National Widlife Refuge
  • Books
  • colonial lake
  • EBF Refuge
  • Great Swamp
  • john heinz national wildlife refuge
  • Moss Landing
  • Ocean City Welcome Center
  • Photography
  • Road Trip
  • The Siege of An Loc
  • Viet Nam Trip
  • Village Teacher
  • Weekly Photo Challenge

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,013 other followers

Top Posts & Pages

  • Village Teacher: Genesis
    Village Teacher: Genesis
  • About
    About
  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward
    Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward
  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement
    Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    %d bloggers like this: