Dare to be Different
by Dawn Currie
Title
Dare to be Different
Artist
Dawn Currie
Medium
Photograph - Digital
Description
Photographic artwork by Dawn Currie - Black Skimmer hanging out with some Laughing Gulls.
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Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger): The remarkable bill of the Black Skimmer sets it apart from all other American birds. The large red and black bill is knife-thin and the lower mandible is longer than the upper. The bird drags the lower bill through the water as it flies along, hoping to catch small fish.
The Black Skimmer is the only American representative of the skimmer family. The other two, rather similar, species are the African Skimmer and the Indian Skimmer. All use the same unusual feeding method.
Black Skimmers can be found on open sandy beaches, on gravel or shell bars with sparse vegetation, or on mats of tide-stranded debris in saltmarsh. Much of this species' original beach habitat has been developed as houses and attractions for beachgoers. Particularly in the southeastern U.S., artificial islands made from dredge spoils are an important nesting habitat for this and other species.
The Black Skimmer has one of the most unusual foraging styles of any North American bird. A feeding skimmer flies low over the water with its bill open and its lower mandible slicing the surface. When the mandible touches a fish, the upper bill (maxilla) snaps down instantly to catch it. Skimmers are highly social birds, nesting in colonies and forming large flocks outside the breeding season.
I have seen these birds all along the coast of central and south Florida. My favorite spots to photograph them are Sebastian Inlet State Park, Jetty Park, and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Behind the Black Skimmer are a group of Laughing Gulls.
Uploaded
January 20th, 2014
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Viewed 4,206 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/27/2024 at 2:41 AM
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Comments (27)
Barbie Corbett-Newmin
Not only is it the perfect title, the different bird looks cocky about it! Gotta love it!
Sherry Hallemeier
I like this one Dawn, both for the content and for the title, speaks a word to all of us! - Sherry
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups nominated images by your fellow artist in the Special Features #7 promotion discussion. Please visit and pass on the love to another artist.
Christopher James
Congratulation.....your wonderful work has been featured in the 1000 Views on 1 Image Group l/f/p
Sharon Nelson-Bianco
Hi Dawn, this is such a wonderful image - a little whimsy too. Always love your work. Congratulations on your feature in FAA Portraits - Birds group. Best regards, Sharon