Phil Lanoue Photography

Last week we were watching some black skimmers operating in the marsh pond. The skimmers were attracted by the considerable amount of small surface fish in the pond.

Low flying birds and most especially the skimmers, make the fish go crazy! The bubbles and splashes visible are all caused by the panicked fish which start jumping wildly as soon as the bird hits the water with it’s long lower bill. In the third photo you can see how as the bird flies off, the fish start to calm down. In the last photo the bird’s skim line in the water is beginning to expand and it is surprising how long that line remains in the water after the skimmer continues on.