Dark
phase
bird, 17 May 2008, NNW of Shetlands
Note how slender this bird appears compared to the above pictures.
Pictures taken using a hand-held 400mm telephoto lens
Dark phase Pomarine Skua, Shtokman Field, Barent's Sea, September 2010
Pomarine
skua are probably my favourite species of bird - seeing flocks
of adults heading north in the spring looking their best is one of the
best seawatching experiences ever. Seeing them grab
Kittiwakes and drown them in the sea duing an autumn storm is also
pretty impressive.
This is a species I have seen quite a lot of whilst at work in the
northern North Sea and in the Barent's Sea - usually in the spring as
they head towards their breeding grounds. I had the privelage of seeing
large numbers of these birds feeding and migrating through the Barent's
Sea whilst working on the
Shtokman Field in late
September and October 2010 - a truly
fantastic experience.
o
pi
