ML63645831

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

The first of three South Polar Skuas seen today was photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 16 July 2017 as it sat on the water along the western edge of the Santa Cruz Basin, Santa Barbara County, California. This photograph was taken at 33° 39' 34" N, 119° 42' 36" W, approximately 5½ kilometers south of where we initially spotted this bird at 33° 42' 28" N, 119° 43' 27" W.

Observation details

The first skua of the day, initially seen as we cruised south along the western edge of the Santa Cruz Basin at 33° 42' 28" N, 119° 43' 27" W, was also the best seen of the three skuas that we encountered today. Although initially spotted in flight and at a distance, this bird repeatedly investigated flocks of shearwaters that were loafing on the water, and after chasing it south for approximately 5½ kilometers, we were eventually able to approach this bird as it sat on the water at 33° 39' 34" N, 119° 42' 36" W. A description of this bird by Marantz is below. This was a notably large, stocky bird that had a gull-like appearance despite the bulkier neck, a noticeably heavier bill, and a generally stout body with broad-based wings that tapered to pointed tips. This bird flew with the wings swept backward, which resulted in its having the appearance of a large, stocky jaeger as opposed to a young gull. The tail was short and essentially square-tipped, but I did not notice the finer details of its shape. This bird had a somewhat blotchy appearance to the wings, but they were not as ragged as were those of the second bird. Its overall coloration was a cold, dark brown, but both wings showed striking bands of white that extended inward from the leading edge across the bases of the primaries. These bands appeared similar in shape when seen on both the uppersides and undersides of the wings, which resulted in an appearance unlike the flash on the underside and series of white shafts on the upperside that is typical of Pomarine Jaeger. The bill was stout throughout its length, blunt-tipped, and black in color. I thought the eyes were dark, or at least that they were not obviously pale, but I failed altogether to note the color of either the legs or feet, and even whether the feet were webbed.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/1600 sec

Dimensions

1187 pixels x 815 pixels

Original file size

562.42 KB