Poor Mom

When I first recorded this video, I was focused on the fledglings. When I later reviewed it, I was saddened by what was happening in the background.
With the dwindling open beach space, every year our local Black Skimmer colony must find a new spot suitable for nesting. This year they chose the worst place possible, a public beach. Not only did they have the constant threat from people and their dogs, but also threats that humans cause. You see, people like to feed wild animals, especially birds. Birds like the Black Skimmers and Terns only eat fish and will not eat the junk food that people bring to the beach. But Gulls are a different story. Gulls will eat just about anything and feeding them just attracts larger numbers. Gulls are also predators and a major threat to Black Skimmer eggs and chicks. When people have run out of food, the Gulls will circle above the colony looking for an opportunity to attack. This year the Gulls devastated the colony by eating hundreds of eggs and baby birds. It was estimated that the colony should have about 450 offspring, but only around 20 survived.
This brings me back to the video. In the background, you can see what I believe is a female Black Skimmer. She is standing in a scrap holding a fish in her beak and probably looking for her offspring to feed. However, there are none around and finally, another Skimmer who sees her as a threat, chases her away. So, very sad.