[Length 18 in. Wingspan 44 in.]

Black Skimmers are Tern-like birds which breed in colonies on coastal outer beaches and major river systems in southern North America and much of South America. In North America the occur from Long Island, New York south to Florida, and across the Gulf states to Texas. They get their name from their unique method of feeding, in which they skim the surface of the water with just the tip of their lower bill as they fly low over the water. This one was photographed resting in the sand along the Kennedy Causeway in Corpus Christi, Texas. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: April 1981)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 44 in.]

This Black Skimmer was photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, TX. Photo taken with a Nikkor 70-200mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=330mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: April 23, 2006)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 44 in.]

This Black Skimmer was photographed at French Town Road, Port Bolivar, TX. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: May 6, 2008)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 44 in.]

This Black Skimmer in flight was photographed near a traditional nesting site along the central New Jersey coast. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: September 1984)

[Length 12 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This Arctic Tern was photographed at Loch of Funzie RSPB Reserve, Funzie, Fetlar, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 7, 2004)

[Length 12 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This Arctic Tern was photographed at Potter Point Marsh near Anchorage , Alaska. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1989)

[Length 12 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This Arctic Tern in flight was photographed at the Granary Ponds in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1991)

[Length 12 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

Arctic Terns are circumpolar. In North America they breed throughout Alaska and northern Canada. They winter in the extreme south of all the world's oceans and coastal areas, which makes their migration one of the longest of any bird. This pair was photographed at the granary ponds in Churchill, Manitoba. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1991)