Black Skimmer skimming - Nickerson Beach, New York

Black Skimmer plunging into the ocean::

This was another day when the conditions were favorable for Black Skimmers to skim at the Nickerson Beach, NY. What was surprising to see, was that adult birds were not actually skimming to catch a fish. It looked like they were submerging their beaks as a first step of cleaning. Right after I took this photo, bird landed in the water and started to bathe. This was happening all morning with many other birds doing the same thing. Have you seen this before? If you have any other explanation or ideas, please leave a comment below.

Here is a closer look at the same photograph:

Close-up of a Black Skimmer submerging its bill - Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY

If you need help with improving your photography there, as well as to help you with a very first visit to the Nickerson Beach, I wrote an extensive free guide on this spectacular place: https://www.greggard.com/blog/nesting-shorebirds-nickerson-beach-long-island-ny-photography-guide

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Here are some of my favorite shorebird guides for a quick read (to save money buy used books):