Hey! My name is “Jake.” I am a member of the class of ’10 (Black Skimmers that hatched in 2010). I am now seven weeks of age and almost as large as my parents (see last image). I’m one of the lucky ones; only 25% of my class has made it this far. Since our parents nest in colonies on the beach by making a “scrape” in the sand, we are very vulnerable to a host of perils, including high tide flooding, predation by crows and laughing gulls, infanticide by neighboring adults and sibling rivalry. It is a wonder any of us make it. The photographer taking the images that follow documented nestlings killing their siblings, adults chasing, mauling and taking off with chicks and gulls swooping in to grab chicks. And you would not believe the competition and squabbling within the colony. We grow fast and start to fly at four weeks. However, our lower bill does not start to grow longer than our upper bill until about 28 days, so we remain dependent on our parents until we can learn to skim for fish ourselves. I can’t wait to be able to explore this crazy world. All the best, Jake
Check out Lou’s 2010 Art Gallery Exhibit “Wild and Wonderful” on his web site beginning August 14th: www.lounewmanphotography.com