Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger)
Place: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA, USA
Date: October 1991
Equipment: Nikon 8008, Nikkor EDIF 400/5.6, tripod
Film: Kodachrome 200
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered, natural light
Scan: Minolta Dimage

Commentary: Chincoteague NWR was my favorite bird photography place when I lived in NJ, and we tried to visit each year in spring or fall after we had discovered how good it was. This shot was taken from the main road as it crossed the cove just before reaching the beach. I liked the light, and how the skimmers had almost all lined up pointing in the same direction. Skimmers are closely related to the terns and gulls, but have a unique bill whose lower mandible is longer than the upper. It drags this in the water as it flies just above the surface. Photographers usually show this bird in profile to emphasize this feature, but I like this head-on view where they look like fighters lined up on an aircraft carrier. The larger bird in the right is a Laughing Gull.