Black Skimmer

[James Salywoda]

Reposted Adjusted the blue channel thanks Axel;)

Black Skimmer
Southern, California

Taken last night as the Skimmer action here is picking up as the chicks continue to hatch
so the adults are doing their rounds hunting for food.

Nikon D300 AFS 600 F4 1.4 TC
1/1000 F7.1 ISO 500

Thanks For Looking
Jim

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the skimming, eye contact and details. The blacks have a blueish cast on my monitor. Maybe a bit more contrast and less blue saturation?

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

I really like this image, the eye contact and especially the catch light.

[Nagesh Mula]

Its a beautiful picture, good eye contact and without clipping any feather. great job. Congratulations!!

[Randy Stout]

James:

I think Axel has hit the main points.
Angle in frame is excellent, sharp, good balance of whites vs. blacks. Yes, a blue cast.

I think it is interesting how hydrodynamically clean their bill is. Such a small amount of wake generated.

I often wonder what happens if they latch onto a big fish? I would think it would flip the over. Has anyone ever seen that happen? Come to think of it, I am not sure I have ever seen a skimmer at the moment of fish capture.

Thanks!

Randy

[Axel Hildebrandt]

James:

I think Axel has hit the main points.
Angle in frame is excellent, sharp, good balance of whites vs. blacks. Yes, a blue cast.

I think it is interesting how hydrodynamically clean their bill is. Such a small amount of wake generated.

I often wonder what happens if they latch onto a big fish? I would think it would flip the over. Has anyone ever seen that happen? Come to think of it, I am not sure I have ever seen a skimmer at the moment of fish capture.

Thanks!

Randy

I've seen some with bill pointing toward the tail when they hit something but they always continued to fly without crashing. I read they sense when there is something in the water and the lower mandible goes up. This is important since they also skim at night.

[James Salywoda]

Thanks Fellas! I desaturated the blue channel about 38 points the light was in and out of the clouds and the blue cast was showing in the raw file the desaturation isn't perfect but almost if anyone wants to work this be my guest. Randy
these birds are fun to watch and yes when they do latch onto a fish it does snap their head downward at times looking as if it could break their necks. Awesome bird.

[Doug Brown]

I know this is off-topic and I'm not trying to hijack Jim's thread, but here's a shot that captures the moment of impact. Enjoy!

[James Salywoda]

Perfect image for showing this action and answers the question. Well Done!

[Octavio Campos Salles]

Great flight shot! Very good sharpness and the water looks good too.

[DanWalters]

Beautiful shot! I love how the beak is just entering the water.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Super clarity in this image. I love it. If anything a little more room on the RHS would be better for me. So sharp! Love seeing these guys. :) The catchlight in the eye is great!

[Paul Kusmin]

Very cool species for sure, thanks for sharing this shot.
I love the detail and eye contact!

[Arthur Morris]

I love everything about this one except for the wing position, but the astounding sharpness and the raised head more than make up for that. I have seen them lift their bills to avoid debris. Heck, that was about 30 years ago. I did a pretty cool article on skimmers for Living Bird about a decade or go, or maybe a bit less than that....

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I love everything about this one except for the wing position, but the astounding sharpness and the raised head more than make up for that. I have seen them lift their bills to avoid debris. Heck, that was about 30 years ago. I did a pretty cool article on skimmers for Living Bird about a decade or go, or maybe a bit less than that....

Do you still have the article? On second thought, since it was 30 years ago you probably don't have it electronically, too bad.

[Arthur Morris]

It was 30 years ago that I saw the skimmer lifting its bill. The article was about 8 years or so ago. I will search for it. It is probably on a floppy disk

[Morkel Erasmus]

super image! love the low angle, detail and sharpness. all has been said, just adding my well done!

[Dave Barnes]

This is a super capture James, I like the clarity of the head and bill.
Have you altered or added the cath light in the eye?

[Stu Bowie]

James, super comp, with good placement of the skimmer. Well timed to capture the skimmer through the water, and you have exposed the colours nicely. Well done.

Doug, thanks for sharing the moment of capture. Hmmmmm... the bigger the fish, the bigger the braking effect.