Bird Board
Unusual behavior in skimmers
Posted by Kurt d.
about 7 years ago
2 Comments
It's summer, it's slow, here's something you don't see everyday. A pair of skimmers at Griffin Road and I-75 feeding in a puddle like waders. I couldn't tell what they were eating but they were fairly active, walking around snapping up something.
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Not common behavior, but not unknown either. The old French literature (18th Century) describes skimmers dong this. The naturalists of the time thought that skimmers made their living eating clams picked up from shallow pools.
Well I'll be darned. Thanks Steve, it got me interested to check it out a little more. Audubon.org gave up this tidbit, "Rarely may forage by wading in very shallow water, scooping up fish." It was the strangest thing I've seen in awhile. They sort of waddle like penguins. I don't know if they're eating clams or fish, but it sure was odd. And very cool. The puddle is on the North West corner of that intersection exiting I-75 for Griffin Road West. It was about 1 o'clock. I may try to go back tomorrow and see if they're doing it again
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