Black Skimmer - Rhynchos niger

We occasionally see the Black Skimmer in the North Bay, but they are more reliably found in the South Bay, where they breed. In Florida the Black Skimmer is seen regularly along the coast, often roosting on a beach with terns, shorebirds and gulls.

This one was at Fred Howard Park, Tarpon Springs, hanging out with Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls. Note how the camera focused on the Laughing Gull and the Royal Tern, so the Skimmer is a bit blurred.

​I walked a little closer and after waiting a bit the Skimmer could be seen more by itself, allowing better focus. The Skimmer may look a bit grotesque on land, but it is a marvelous long-winged aerialist, foraging by flying low over the water with the over-sized lower mandible skimmer the surface for small fish.

We used the see Black Skimmers in good numbers at Fred Howard Park, but heavy use of the area by beachgoers and kayakers seem to have caused them to roost elsewhere.
​