PREVIEW

AssetID: 36824946

Headline: Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) Winners

Caption: Black Skimmer Rynchops niger. Ocean City, New Jersey, United States of America. Photographer: Nikunj Patel, United States of America. Category: Birds in Flight. GOLD AWARD WINNER. Photographer's Story: ‘Black Skimmers are one of my favourite birds and I love spending time in the summer observing and photographing them. Skimmers have a light and elegant flight, with steady wingbeats. They fly low over water and dip their lower mandible just below the surface, feeling for tiny fish and snapping them up with deadly speed, and making high-speed turns in mid-flight. On a nice summer evening, I arrived at a colony of nesting seabirds on a beach to photograph Black Skimmers flying in, bringing fish for the new-born chicks. I decided to set up low on the beach as it would give me an eye-level perspective with the birds. A few skimmers had gathered at the edge of the shoreline and were having a vigorous bathing session. As some of them took off, I saw one flying low and straight towards me. Luckily, I was able to acquire focus, press the shutter and capture a beautiful image of the bird flying straight at me. Black Skimmers rely on open beaches for nesting and raising their young, with direct access to the water for feeding. Coastal development and our own love of the same beaches have left them with few safe places to nest. The image was captured in the summer of 2018 at Ocean City, New Jersey, USA. The Black Skimmer is an endangered species in the state of New Jersey.’ Nikon D850 with Nikon 600mm f/4 lens. 600mm focal length; 1/3,200 second; f/5.6; ISO 250. Tripod.

Keywords:

PersonInImage: