{"id":39045,"date":"2016-04-29T06:05:52","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T12:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=39045"},"modified":"2025-09-19T06:13:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:13:18","slug":"black-skimmer-skimming-the-gulf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/04\/29\/black-skimmer-skimming-the-gulf\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Skimmer Skimming the Gulf"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BlackBlack Skimmer skimming the Gulf – Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1\/1000, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

North America has one species of skimmer and they are found almost exclusively along coastal waters.<\/p>\n

Not only do skimmers have a very unique and unmistakable appearance but they also have a unique method of catching prey using their very sensitive, oddly shaped bills that slice through the surface of the water that immediately snap shut when they sense prey.<\/p>\n

Their top bill (maxilla) is shorter than the lower bill (mandible) and it is the only species in North America that has a bill that is that way.<\/p>\n

My own technique for photographing this Black Skimmer skimming the Gulf and other skimmers that day was to sit down in the water right where the waves crested and moved on shore.<\/p>\n

The skimmers were flying north to south so I could see them coming a long way off and track them with my lens, when they flew in close enough I would start to fire my shutter.<\/p>\n

The skimmers would fly directly at me and then they would lift up, fly right over me and on the other side they would get closer to the water and continue searching for prey.<\/p>\n

There were a few times a sneaker wave would come in and hit me from behind but I was able to raise my arm high over my head to keep my camera dry even though I got drenched.<\/p>\n

I was already wet from my toes to my waist so what was a little more water, right?<\/p>\n

I sure miss Black Skimmers. You won’t find them in Utah.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

This skimmer skimming was photographed at Fort De Soto County Park in Pinellas County, Florida in August of 2009.<\/em><\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black Skimmer photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My own technique for photographing this Black Skimmer skimming the Gulf and other skimmers that day was to sit down in the water right where the waves crested and moved on shore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,253,25,704,2000],"tags":[4004,3990,5229,5132,4228,4052,4136,5125,4077,5126,5117,4248,3996,4119],"class_list":["post-39045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-black-skimmers","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","tag-adult","tag-black-skimmer","tag-coast","tag-coastal","tag-feeding-behavior","tag-flight","tag-foraging","tag-foraging-technique","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-photography-technique","tag-skimmers","tag-skimming","tag-water","tag-waves"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-adult-skimming-mia-mcpherson-1996.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-a9L","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15417,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/07\/18\/black-skimmers-highly-gregarious-and-unmistakable\/","url_meta":{"origin":39045,"position":0},"title":"Black Skimmers – Highly Gregarious And Unmistakable","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Black Skimmers are beautiful and unmistakable, with their long orange\/red black tipped bill, white underparts, blackish upper parts and distinctive barking call.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black Skimmer adult on beach at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/black-skimmer-mia-mcpherson-adult-8056.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/black-skimmer-mia-mcpherson-adult-8056.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven't seen Black Skimmers in over six years now but in my mind I can still hear them calling when I look at my images of a group of them in flight.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scoop of Black Skimmers flying past Shell Key, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-flock-mia-mcpherson-7755.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-flock-mia-mcpherson-7755.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-flock-mia-mcpherson-7755.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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