Adrian Binney, EPSA, LRPS
July 2026 - Two Black Skimmers In Peru
Original
About the Image(s)
This was taken in March when in southern Peru. I had seen Black Skimmers before - but never skimming. We were fortunate that there were up to 100 close to the shore so we could watch and take pictures easily from the beach. I chose this image as it shows both the act of skimming for food as well as a side view showing the difference in upper and lower mandible. Settings using Olympus equipment - 400mm (so 800FF) at 1/2,000 6.3 ISO 320 after 1/3 stop compensation. PP in Lightroom using masks for birds and water separately.
3 comments posted
You caught the skimmer at just the right moment as it contacts the water. Did it catch anything? Part of the charm of this picture is the one on the left is observing the action and seems to be waiting to see if the other guy is about to give it any tips to follow as far as technique. I would've erased the black spot on the left edge. Adequate shutter speed. Good final exposure from the edit. Posted: 07/07/2026 14:20:20
Jerry - Many thanks and I will remove the item to the left.
Here is another image which (by the water trail) shows how they remain at the same level with their lower mandible breaking the water over long period - so unusual. I've never seen clear evidence of a fish being caught though! Posted: 07/09/2026 13:33:28
Here is another image which (by the water trail) shows how they remain at the same level with their lower mandible breaking the water over long period - so unusual. I've never seen clear evidence of a fish being caught though! Posted: 07/09/2026 13:33:28
Adrian, what a nice way to show the unique feature of this bird's bill. It's amazing what shallow water they can skim in-- the feet of the standing bird are barely covered!
Nice job with the processing on this, I like the ligher, brighter blue. The pano crop works well, I'd just leave the full amount on the right so that there's more room for the bird to fly in to.
I was chatting with someone the other day about using negative clarity on "choppy" water to give it a more smooth appearance. I haven't tried it, but this is the type of image I'd try it on. Posted: 07/10/2026 22:43:05
Nice job with the processing on this, I like the ligher, brighter blue. The pano crop works well, I'd just leave the full amount on the right so that there's more room for the bird to fly in to.
I was chatting with someone the other day about using negative clarity on "choppy" water to give it a more smooth appearance. I haven't tried it, but this is the type of image I'd try it on. Posted: 07/10/2026 22:43:05