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

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- 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):