Nesting Colony of Black Skimmers

We went to Lido Key  in Sarasota to see the below colony of nesting Black Skimmers.  The adults dig a shallow bowl in the sand called a "scrape" and incubate their eggs right there on the beach.  The adults shield their chicks from the hot summer sun.

On my blog post from this trip I describe the importance of scrub habitat and the endangered Florida Scrub Jay.  Please click on the pictures below to view close ups with captions. 

I was in my grandma's driveway and took these pictures of a Pileated Woodpecker and Great Egret.