Fast, low, lightly touching the surface, AKA skimming.
We first spotted Skimmers in the air, down a dike on Hog Island, in Bear WMA. The first open view we could find we stopped. From the corner opening we could view up a marsh canal, and just a little of the main marsh water we were in.
These were taken as a bird fished the surface going across our open view area. Moving further ahead might have stopped the birds from fishing right here since we would be out in the open. We grabbed what we could get through the hole.
Black Skimmers have a beak with two different lengths. The bottom mandible is longer, skims the waters surface, and slams shut when a fish is felt. BTW, at this speed the birds head is also snapped down, almost tumbling the bird into the water. Never happens, but it’s always close.
Black Skimmer fishing in the ACE Basin.
(a missed post, found it in my drafts)
A little typo, I think. The photo from your previous post shows that the bottom mandible is longer, not shorter, than the upper.
Yes…dumb user tricks 😂😂😂. I read it earlier today 😂😂. Fixed it, thanks. Funny but when I read it, I knew it was wrong, but had to look at a shot from the other day anyway. ‘How could I do that’ was all I thought . Thanks for paying attention.