Black Skimmer and Chicks

Gallery: AvianPosted August 27, 201185 views6 comments

Texas City Dike. Texas City, Tx. Extending into Galveston Bay.

D3 ISO 400. 300/2.8 with 2x tc. f9 1/800s -0.3 ev. From car window.

There was a large black skimmer colony/nesting area on the Texas City Dike this summer. I shot them last weekend and again yesterday. Almost all the birds had flown, but these were still really young. (And cute). Last week it was hard to get an isolated image because there were so many birds milling about and protecting their areas. I appreciated the room for this family. The "nest" is a small indentation in the sandy/pebbly area. Once the adult moves away, the little ones lay flat as a pancake and blend in pretty well with the surrounding land. I can imagine that a predator would have great difficulty seeing them from an aerial vantage.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by May Haga on August 28, 2011 at 12:58 PM

Wonderful capture Angela. The chicks are sitting there nice and safe and the mother is warning off any visitors. Thanks for sharing how well the chicks blend into the sand. I find that with Killdeer chicks also, once they sit down they are nearly invisible.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by keith mitchell on August 28, 2011 at 2:18 PM

Hello Angela.
It looks like a hot place to bring up young birds,is the beak open to cool the bird or is it calling?the adult bird looks nice and sharp and well exposed and that beak is something else!.

Keith.

Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on August 28, 2011 at 3:43 PM

Angela,
It doesn't get much cuter than this. Nice exposure considering the light looks like it's almost straight overhead judging by the shadows. Great look at the white and the blacks and you've got mom and both chicks looking your way. Can't believe they are still nesting into late August. Nice clean nest are as well. It's a winner Angela!!

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on August 28, 2011 at 5:42 PM

Sweet shot Angela. Great job on a tough exposure. Love the chicks and the open beak. Really nice.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on August 29, 2011 at 8:03 AM

Very nice Angela, I like the POV of the chicks huddled beneath mom..
Techs look great , love that odd looking beak..One can just see its little tongue a waggin' too

Well done

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on August 29, 2011 at 9:24 PM

Great capture, Angela. A 10 on the cute factor. Nice job on the exposure.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments