I made what’s become an annual trip to St. Augustine this past weekend to see the city’s famous Nights of Lights and to get in a little birding. A sunrise trip to St. Augustine Beach included a group of Black Skimmers helping greet the morning.
I’ve photographed Black Skimmers before at Merritt Island while they were skimming across lagoons and feeding. The birds at St. Augustine Beach weren’t skimming as the sun rose, but they were flying around and hanging out with a group of terns and gulls.
They’re odd-looking birds with their thin orange-and-black bills and brownish-black-and-white plumage. According to AllAboutBirds.org, “Possibly the best description of the Black Skimmer’s bounding, head-down foraging style came from the great seabird biologist R. C. Murphy in 1936. He said they look like ‘unworldly… aerial beagles hot on the scent of aerial rabbits.’”
Watching them along the beach was a great way to start the day.
