A bloody good start to my 'Big October', I actually started one day early because the weather looked so good. Spent most of the day at the farmlands, a juvenile Arctic Skua was the first recorded on the site since 2002 and only the 9th record. Other highlights included 12 Pintail on the North Lake, 10 Wigeon, the Red-crested Pochard, Common and Green Sandpiper, 5 Snipe, 110 house martins and evening roost counts included 1200 Ring-necked Parakeet and 400 Jackdaw. Ebird list HERE.
Intermediate juvenile Arctic Skua, the projecting central tail feathers, large flashes on the primary bases and overall structure indicate Arctic. Juvenile Pomarine would have double flashes and a blunt tail and be structurally more barrel chested and heavier structure.
The pale breast patch and pale head are features of pale/intermediate morph juveniles (above and below)
Typically for juvenile Arctic Skua the underwings are dark and rather plain (more barred and contrasting on Pom and Long-tailed)
A couple of scenic shots - always a surreal sight seeing a seabird over a familiar inland patch. At one point the bird executed some classic at sea kleptoparasitic behaviour chasing a Black-headed Gull (below).
Today's Pintail influx (above and below)
Red-crested Pochard
Seemed to be a bit of 'bait balling' going on with a Cormorants and Egrets feeding frenzy
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