Every spring the skimmers can be enjoyed on popular Lido Beach. This beautiful bird was grooming himself on the sand and was a perfect photo from which I worked to create this painting. Oil on 16"x20" stretched canvas, varnished and ready to hang.
The skimmer is distinguished by a unique bladelike bill, the lower mandible of which is one-third longer than the upper mandible. They nest directly on the sand and their chicks stay in the same place while parents fish for dinner. A major threat to Black Skimmers is habitat loss from coastal development and human disturbance, such as people walking or driving through nesting areas, or letting their dogs run unleashed on the beach.