Black Skimmers by the hundreds flew down the beach and landed on a sand bar exposed by the low tide.
There were so many birds it was hard to chose where to photograph.
As the tide covered their original landing place they lifted off in groups and circled around to another appealing spot.
We had the good fortune to watch this for over an hour until we were driven out by the incoming tide.
As you say, knowing where to point can be a challenge.
An episode of Doug Garner’s show Wild Photo Adventure talked about that a bit. Some good lessons. One thing he talked about was choosing a subject. Among other things, he suggested focusing (and framing) on a single bird to reduce the overwhelming urge to get all of them. Shots composed thusly still show groups of nearby birds, etc.
Still, we need to try to capture that inspiring and exciting essence of seeing so many fascinating creatures in one place!
A mix of both, no doubt, is the way to go.
Seek peace,
Paz
Yes, picking one bird is difficult, especially the first time you see something like this. Not to mention their speed! We went back two days later and I had great plans for some different shots. It was very windy and the Skimmers never appeared.