Last week I was out at Nickerson Beach Long Island NY giving some private workshops that Art Morris and I had set up. The fog was awful. It had been raining for days and it seemed that the rain would never stop. After all the rain and before my workshops I drove to Long Island early in the morning-it was around 5:20am. Fearful that the birds would be sparse I opened my car door slowly hoping to hear terns, skimmers and oystercatchers. I was relieved to hear all the barking crying whistling sounds that make that place so special. There is a boardwalk that leads you out to the beach and the water was up to the boardwalk. I looked over and saw that the skimmers filled the air-wheww!! I am looking forward to observing, photographing and
being a part of the excitement that is “Nickerson Beach”.
Black Skimmers make great subjects to photograph especially for those trying to hone their photography skills. When photographing these black and white birds it is important to expose them properly. It is very easy to blow out the whites trying to get some detail in their black feathers or vice-versa. Soft light is your best bet but that isn’t always possible especially at the beach when sometimes as early as 7:30 your light can become harsh. The sand and the water both act as reflectors bouncing light off of them and onto your subject. Another thing to consider is the long body of the skimmer, trying to create a pleasing composition can sometimes be difficult without clipping their tails. And since we are talking about clipping how about their long wing span. Which can be between 42″ and 50″. I have clipped more than my share of wing tips trying to capture them full frame in flight. When they fly back and forth often times they will bank showing a full dorsal view or a complete under-wing view. Those are both sweet poses and lots of fun to capture.
I’ve watched Black Skimmers mate and it’s pretty quick, they hop on and hop off so you better be quick. The mating behavior before the actual deed is quite interesting to watch. The male will bring the female a fish and if she decides to take the fish she turns away from him and he jumps on. I was told that skimmers co-exist with terns while breeding and nesting because the terns are much more aggressive and help to keep the predatory gulls away from the nest scrapes (which are very shallow, only a few inches deep) and chicks. This seems to be very logical and true as the terns are very aggressive and dive bomb anyone or thing that comes too close to the colony.
One thing that is awesome to watch is the way the skimmers feed. They dip their lower mandible into the water and plow along until it hits a fish and then it snaps shut. I was surprised to hear that their lifespan is approximately 20 years and they mate for life!
There is nothing like the sights, sounds and smells of the colonies in full swing. I love being at the beach and photographing these beautiful interesting birds. I hope you can join me at Nickerson this season for one of my upcoming workshops. I’ve added a few images from last season and can’t wait to create some new ones this season.
Join me for 4 sessions of photography during a 3 day hands on workshop at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. We will be meeting in the parking lot on Friday June 3rd at 6:00pm for an afternoon/evening session. Dinner on your own. Saturday June 4th, breakfast on your own – we will meet in the parking lot at Nickerson Beach at 6:00am sharp for a morning session. Then we will have lunch together and discuss our morning shoot. We will take a break in the afternoon which should give you plenty of time to download and review your images. The afternoon/evening shoot will be at 6:00pm where we will once again meet in the parking lot. Dinner on your own. Sunday June 5th morning session will be our final session. We will meet in the parking lot at 6:00am for another morning session, afterward we will enjoy a nice lunch together.
June 3rd, 4th and 5th
Cost $799.00
Rain or Shine
Sturdy tripod and long lens recommended
Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY
To sign up for this workshop visit my Workshop page and scroll down. A detailed info PDF will be sent to you suggesting lodging, gear and additional information on what to expect, wear etc..
The second image is great. Eye level, nice reflection, and — with the OOF waves and the pose of the skimmer — very dynamic. Dynamite!
Thanks for what you wrote about the skimmers and the beach. It says a lot.
Denise, a stunning collection of Skimmer images!
Dennis, I love that image too!
Andrew, Much appreciated.
Thank you Denise for the interesting and informative write-up
I prefer the last image
Thanks Ben, The good thing about Nickerson is you can capture the skimmers over the colony as in the last image for a completely different looking background.