Our attentions were captured by a flock of birds one afternoon in Cocoa Beach, Florida. We saw them on a previous visit to the beach, clustered together on the sand near the surf line. When someone would walk by, they would fly up, circle around and land back where they started. We had to go investigate.
There we found not gulls but Black Skimmers. Their unique bills were what helped us identify them when we got home.
These tern-like birds are the only species in the United States that has a larger lower mandible than upper mandible. The black skimmer drags it's lower bill through the water as it flies along, hoping to catch small fish.
Black Skimmer
I don't know why they all lined up facing the same direction on the beach. If you know the reason for this, let me know in the comments.
Attention!
Springman at the Pine River Review is the host each week of World Bird Wednesday. Come bird watching with us by clicking on the logo above! Hopefully I will do a better job visiting this week than last. Where does the time go so quickly?
