Those Amazing Black Skimmers!

I am always thrilled when I come upon even a few of the amazing black skimmers, so imagine my delight when I stopped at the mud flats and saw hordes of them! At first they might be mistaken for sea gulls, standing there with their beautiful red-striped beaks tucked under their wings. 

But as you get closer, they pull their beaks out so that they can investigate. 

And soon it's clear to see that they aren't going to hang around. 

And away they go! 

And go . . .

And go!  

!

And, oh! The noise they make! 

I will not get to see their beautiful, synchronized flying today. 

If you want to see more pics of these beauties, just enter "black skimmers" into the search box. 

The Return of the Black Skimmers

When I left early this morning, I was pretty sure it was going to be - once again - one of those super-cloudy mornings that would feature no spectacular sunrise, just a gradual diminishing of darkness. I almost talked myself out of going, but I keep telling myself that, even without a glorious sunrise, it is still well worth the effort to go and walk along the beach. The sound of the waves, the pleasure of being able to get some exercise with my feet in the sand, the seagulls and other waders, the occasional heron, and whatever else might happen to show up. And I was so glad I went!

I was so enthralled with the black skimmers that I first became acquainted with at the SPI Birding Center a few months back, but I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see them again. Well, today was the day! 

Only this time I got to see them, not over the bay, but over the ocean waves, and it made my day. I love watching them fly back and forth over the water with all the grace and synchrony of a perfectly matching figure-skating duo. 

I hope they will be back soon!