Black Skimmer Chick explores the Shoreline, guided by Parents - At Lido Key, Sarasota, Florida.

At 2-3 weeks of age, black skimmer chicks start venturing down to the shoreline to loaf waterside with the adults, where they also learn important life skills, critical for their survival, such as skimming. Well before they can fly, chicks start practicing their water skimming technique, under their parent's tutelage. It is amazing to watch!
Judging by their ambivalence, this +/- 2.5 week fluffball featured was making their introductory trip beyond the safety of the nesting enclosure. But thanks to Mama and Papa Skimmer's patient albeit persistent encouragement, Junior eventually made it the water, for a brief Skimming 101 lesson from papa.
Note: As clearly illustrated in this video of this skimmer family, male black skimmers are noticeably larger than the females.
#sarasota #wildflorida #wildlife #nature #babybirds #birds #endangeredspecies

[@Naturalpetra]

Beautiful