Photographed around mid day, and at an angle to reduce glare.
What strikes me about these images is the soft, almost solid, look of the water.
I didn’t shoot very slow which could have made this effect. It was all about the angle.
Now if I can just do it again…
Note; A photographer more knowledgeable in shore birds told me this may be a Sand Piper. I’m going to defer and and say…’Sand Piper’.
Black Skimmers are both fast and agile. Amazingly so considering they are not a small bird.
The best description I can give is ‘a very large Swallow’.
There were no big swirling and twisting passes this time. The bird did a fast back and forth and was gone.
Most times when they catch a fish you can actually see their head pulled back off the water.
I guess the small minnows were too deep here so the Skimmer moved on to a better spot. I did manage to catch these shots, which considering how few chances I had made me pretty happy.
Some roads around the ACE Basin run right through huge marshes, the water almost level with the surface. We are around sea level after all. Certain times of the day the scenery there is stunning.
I stopped at the road side to look for wildlife, few cars will come by, good thing since there are no sides to the roads.
What I found was an old post sticking out of the water, a Willet standing and surveying his domain.
Why a post, who knows. Even last year this might have been a canal, now filled. The land changes fast.
Willet like both these marshes and the sea shore. The ocean is not all that far so this bird probably moves between the two.
She did a good job on this one of her first flights.
I watched her jump from the Cypress and fly straight to a tree branch over my head. perhaps about 30 yards (27 meters).
None of these birds have room for error, Anhinga have double trouble.
They dive underwater to catch fish, that’s their main food source. Besides flying they need to be very good underwater. She hasn’t tried that one yet.
Most birds need to fly over the Alligators, Anhinga also need to swim around them. That takes skill…and a lot of luck.
It’s always great to capture reflections in the water. But ones like these don’t happen very often,
The water was dead still, no wind, the only movement was the ripple made by the Skimmers open bill ‘skimming’ for fish.
Black Skimmers are such a unique animal that long after we’re done photographing we stand around watching in awe.
Natures perfect adaptation for the birds survival.
An early morning fly by.
Black Skimmers work as pairs often. These two maneuvered together like a dance team. Very impressive considering all the grasses here.
Unfortunately the water had all types of pollen’s and marsh grass on the surface.
Maybe the early sun on the grasses compensated, the colors were great.
I didn’t even try, or want to zoom closer on these birds. It was such a treat to have them both in the viewfinder.
