Every winter, while we're tidying up any loose ends from the previous summer's field season and preparing for the coming field season, we review the reports we've received from researchers and birders on the whereabouts of our banded Black Skimmers along their migratory pathway and on their wintering grounds. During the 2024-2025 winter season, we received reports of 14 of the 48 black skimmers we have banded — that's about 30% of them — since we started our banding project in 2017. Here are some highlights and fun facts about our "snowbird" Black Skimmers from the fall migration and winter of 2024-2025.
- J5 (banded in 2018) was last seen by BiodiversityWorks staff on Martha's Vineyard on August 14, 2024. This bird was next seen a little more than a month later, on September 22, 2024, more than 800 miles south near Charleston, South Carolina. We're amazed at how quickly some of our skimmers move towards their wintering range!
- L6 (banded in 2022) was seen twice this winter: once during fall migration, in early November, near Charleston, South Carolina, and then again on its wintering grounds near Jacksonville, Florida, in late February.
- The beaches near Jacksonville are clearly very popular with our banded skimmers. Of the re-sights from the wintering grounds, 11 came from Huguenot Memorial Park or Amelia Island, two neighboring beaches just north of Jacksonville.
- A0 and A8 (banded in 2017) are members of our original cohort of banded chicks and were among the birds resighted near Jacksonville, Florida. They will turn nine years old this summer!
- N9 (banded in 2023) was another exciting re-sight reported from the beaches near Jacksonville. This was the first report of this bird since its hatch year. We have no idea where N9 spent 2024.
- J7 (banded in 2018) and K2 (banded in 2020) did not think Jacksonville was sufficiently sunny. These selective skimmers ventured even farther south to Key West, Florida. This is the second winter J7 and K2 have selected Key West. There they were regularly observed from late December into February and often were photographed together.
Very soon, if not already, the winter skimmer flocks in Jacksonville and Key West will break up as these birds push north towards their breeding grounds. Over the past several years, the first skimmers have been seen here on Martha's Vineyard in mid- to late April. So keep an eye out: we might have skimmer re-sights from Martha's Vineyard to add before our next eNews!
