Landing Black SkimmerLanding Black Skimmer – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1500, ISO 250, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light

Black Skimmers are known by several nicknames which include scissorbills, knifebill and cut-water for how their bills slice through the water when they are hunting and how their bills snap shut on prey. They are also called flying beagle and sea-dog because of the yipping sound they make that can sound like a small dog.

I photographed this landing Black Skimmer at the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park as it came into for a landing near a resting flock of skimmers, I was fortunate that it landed far enough away from them to be able to isolate the skimmer from the rest of the birds.

Mia