Banding Black Skimmers

Fifteen volunteer birders arrived at South Pinellas beach this morning at 4:30 am. Our goal was to capture as many young (flightless) Skimmers as we could before daylight. Catching them in the pitch dark was a new adventure for me.We were provided with long handle butterfly nets. This worked well IF you could see them and run really fast. Each newly hatched bird received a thorough examination of measurements, weights and received a new plastic leg band for future ID. Before the first light of day we had banded 20 Skimmers. If you ever see Black Skimmer # A30 on the beach let me know. I remember him. Last item of business was to herd the displaced young back to the bird colony.

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Photos by Jim McGinity.

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