Yesterday I went to Sarasota to look for some scenery around dusk. The place in mind was closed so I drove on and pulled over here. From the time I got out of my car I probably had only four minutes before the sun went down but it just worked out anyway. I parked, noticed the skimmers plying their trade, grabbed my camera and sat down on the seawall to take some pictures. I kept watching out of the corner of my eye to see when they were coming and quickly tried to snap a shot as they were directly in front. I have a lot that didn’t work so well but this little bird just nailed his mark. Awesome-possum.
The other place I was planning on going to was closed because they were filming. They had actors, lights and cameras. That little detour costs me about ten precious minutes as the sun was falling. But in the end it all turned out good. I may be naive but I like to think that I ended up where I was supposed to be regardless of my plans.
visit the gallery here
I don’t know what it is about these skimmer birds, but as soon as the sun went down they stopped skimming. In a way, they were just as rushed as I was, trying to get in every last pass as they scooped up little fish for dinner. As soon as the sun went down they were back to the nest or wherever it is that they go. So maybe the sun going down creates a kind of last minute panic to those who depend on it. Whatever the case, we each made our last catch.