Parasitic Jaeger / Arctic Skua

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Parasitic Jaeger / Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)

Another seabird that is not commonly seen due to its pelagic habits. This bird gets its name from its habit of stealing food from other seabirds such as gulls and terns.
Had a couple of chance encounters with this bird about 12 km off the coast of Karwar, Karnataka.

Nikon D3100, Nikkor 70-300 VR ED
SS 1/1600
Av 5.6
ISO 400
EC +1
Large crop

Thanks, C&C welcome.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice to see these sea birds, which usually we are not able to sight. Its underparts are white, so it is the pale morph speicies. It is mostly found in North America and migrates to southern hemisphere during winter. Thanks for sharing the details.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

These are tiny birds. I wonder if I can ever notice one of these even if they are closer to the shore and along with a flock of other waders. Wonder if any records closer to the shore exixts. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Wonder if any records closer to the shore exists.

I know at least one recent instance of this species being blown to shore, but it is otherwise pelagic in its habits and I doubt it would willingly come to the coast. My survey trips are closer to shore than most seabird surveys, so I guess my sightings would be among the closer-to-shore records of this and other pelagic seabirds.
The storm petrels are tiny, but this one is roughly gull-sized.