Monterey Audubon - Black Skimmer

The distinctive Black Skimmer is a rare but regular visitor to Monterey County.
They're most frequently detected in the northern part of the county around Elkhorn Slough, including Moss Landing and Zmudowski SB. I found one roosting at Jetty Road at low tide last Saturday (7/27).

If you're first learning about skimmers, you're almost certainly interested in that unique bill. Black Skimmers fly with that longer lower mandible skimming just below the surface of the water, snapping shut when they encounter a fish! Check out videos at eBird: https://media.ebird.org/catalog?taxonCode=blkski&mediaType=video&sort=rating_rank_desc&regionCode=US-CA

Don Roberson notes the following in "Monterey Birds" (2002): "Black Skimmer began a dramatic range expansion into California in the mid-1960s. The first individuals were in coastal southern California in 1962, and there was nesting at the Salton Sea within ten years, including breeding at San Diego by 1976, and the formation of a colony in coastal Orange County by 1985... During this range expansion, two adults flying south past Pt. Pinos on 26 Aug 1971 (W. Reese) established the first MTY record."

📸: (c) Karen Kreiger - Monterey Co., California (7/9/2022).
eBird report - https://ebird.org/checklist/S114803355

• Bill

Posted on August 1, 2024 05:48 PM by billhubick