Have You Seen the Skimmer Family at Sandy Hook

(Two adult Black Skimmers and a juvenile skimmer in front of the Visitor Center at Sandy Hook)

September is perhaps one of the most exciting months to study wildlife along the Jersey Shore. Ospreys begin migrating to the tropics, Monarch Butterflies begin their migration to central Mexico, goldenrod and asters are in bloom, and a variety of shorebirds are migrating southward. Bluefish and Striped Bass are also at their greatest now in coastal waters as they furiously feed and prepare for fall migration. This constant motion of animals leaves no doubt that the seasons are changing.

Yet, even the most robust of animals needs to rest and relax now and then. This includes one of the most offbeat birds to be found along the coast, which related to gulls and terns, but looks more like a low-key toucan.

A few weeks back I spotted a pair of adult Black Skimmers along with a juvenile Black Skimmer resting at Sandy Hook, on the ocean side and near the Sandy Hook Visitor Center. I was an amazing sight to see!

Black Skimmers are a New Jersey State Endangered bird. They are generally shy and skittish birds. The birds are often only seen around Sandy Hook Bay during dusk, as they feed in the shallow estuarine waters during high tide.

The sight of one Black Skimmer is an exciting occurrence. To observe two Black Skimmers at the same time is incredible. Yet, to see two adults and a juvenile at ease with a couple of dozen people enjoying a late summer evening at Sandy Hook is a mind-blowing event.

No one is going to believe this. Sandy Hook is part of New York Harbor. This is a busy, bustling harbor full of tankers, tugboats, and speed boats. Seeing cool endangered wildlife along one of the most densely populated coastlines in the world isn't supposed to take place. Yet, here it was in black and white. I mean, the birds are black and white.

(A Back Skimmer taking on a Black-backed Gull over breathing space on the beach)

Black Skimmers are colored black on top and white on the bottom. Their most striking body part is their brightly colored orange-black elongated beak that slices through the water in search of a fishy meal. These exotic looking birds rarely dive in the water for a fish. The birds let their lower bill do all the work to skim and scoop up prey like a sharp strainer.  The instant the bill catches a small fish it snaps shut and the bird has something good to eat.

There is no way I could tell for certain if the two adults skimmers at Sandy Hook were the parents of the juvenile. Maybe they were just friends. Perhaps the birds were part of a much larger colony of birds from New York or New England, but got separated by the recent gusty winds of Hurricane Earl and wandered to the shores of Sandy Hook to take a little siesta.

(Black Skimmers have long wings and are graceful in flight)

At the time, I certainly thought the birds were related. I watched as the adults clashed with big Black-backed gulls over space and shouted loudly with their "yep" call every time a person got to close to the young skimmer. The two older birds undoubtedly acted like doting parents.

Author Kenn Kaufman in his legendary book, Lives of North American Birds, asserts that these large shorebirds (about 18 inches long) produce 4-5 eggs, sometimes even up to 7 eggs, but also as little as 2 eggs.  So if I did see a family of skimmers one or two weeks back, then it must have been a very small family, or one where the other siblings literally flew off the nest earlier on.

New Jersey Fish and Wildlife tell us that fall migration for Black Skimmers in New Jersey begins in mid-August through October. They leave northern breeding areas along bays, inlets, and lagoons to fly south for the winter to the Carolinas.

The next day I returned to Sandy Hook to see if I could find the skimmers again, but they were not to be found. Revitalized by the refreshing breezes and abundant fishes around Sandy Hook, I imagined the small group of skimmers left Sandy Hook early in the morning to fly south, like many Black Skimmers before them had done for thousands of years. No doubt, September is a magical month along the Jersey Shore.

NJ Fish and Wildlife have acknowledged in the past there is a colony of Black Skimmers that nest on Sandy Hook during the summer on its open sandy beaches. The future of a healthy population of Black Skimmers at Sandy Hook is dependent on the protection of clean, sandy beaches to breed. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing problem as humans spread out during the summer on the beach to swim and fish where they want. Please give shorebirds room on the beach to nest, and respect protected, roped off areas. Moreover, polluted water, dirty beaches, or toxic fish can cause Black Skimmers to get sick and die.  We need to ensure that water quality is clean and healthy for all species to enjoy. Let's protect this remarkable bird, so future generations of people will always be able to take pleasure in seeing many skimmer families at Sandy Hook.