Black Skimmer nest - Nickerson Beach, NY
Adult Black Skimmer with chicks at the nest:
What caused this adult bird to leave the nest? There was an intruder, a gull, that landed nearby at the colony. When adult birds are out fishing, or when young birds wander off the nest site, gulls will prey on the defenseless chicks. This time, whole colony of nesting Black Skimmers and Common Terns took off and successfully chased the gull away.
Did you notice the remaining egg in the nest?
How about hearing those skimmers bark? Pretty cool, isn’t it?
If you would like to stay informed on the current happenings at the Nickerson Beach this upcoming season, and to find out where exactly I’m photographing these birds, you can follow my Location Updates: https://www.greggard.com/location-updates/nickerson-beach-ny-updates-2020
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
You can also find me on:
- Instagram: greggardphoto
- Youtube: gregsthings
- Facebook: greg.gard.9
- Twitter: newtobirding
- Full disclosure: This post contains references to products from Amazon.com and I may receive small compensation when you purchase a product via my affiliate link on this website. I'm very grateful for any purchase you make using one of my links. No personal data is shared with me -
Here are some of my favorite shorebird guides for a quick read (to save money buy used books):
- April 2023 1
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- April 2022 2
- March 2022 11
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- December 2021 11
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- April 2021 30
- March 2021 1
- May 2020 5
- April 2020 15
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- February 2020 6
- December 2019 7
- November 2019 27
- October 2019 29
- September 2019 1
- August 2019 1
- July 2019 1
- June 2019 2
- May 2019 3
- April 2019 5
- March 2019 10
- February 2019 15
- January 2019 6
- November 2018 3
- October 2018 5
- September 2018 6
- August 2018 2
- July 2018 1
- May 2018 1
- April 2018 1
- March 2018 4
- February 2018 3
- January 2018 3
- December 2017 3
- November 2017 2
- October 2017 2
- May 2017 1
- February 2017 3
- January 2017 2
- December 2016 2
- November 2016 1
- July 2016 1
- June 2016 1
- February 2016 1
- September 2015 1
- November 2014 2
- October 2014 2
- September 2014 2
- January 2014 1
- October 2013 1
- July 2013 1
- June 2013 1
- May 2013 1