Pomarine Skua on Loop

The first bird record of note from Loop Head was a Pomarine Skua shot near the Lighthouse in 1884.  This specimen is stuffed and sitting in a case within the National History Museum in Dublin, as part of the Barrington collection.  Today while I was having my lunch in the car park of Loop Head Lighthouse, a Pomarine Skua flew in off the sea tired and bedraggled from trying to head south against a strong southerly wind. As it landed in front of me in the heather, my mind rambled back to the bird from the 1800's that I have visited and seen in the museum.  But today this bird was shot in a different way, with a camera and not a gun.  Oh how times have changed.

 

 

 Pomarine Skua taking a break on nice soft heather in front of Loop Head Lighthouse John N Murphy

Pomarine Skua

A misty, wet day today 8th October 2011 made searching for birds at Loop Head so difficult. While in the harbour looking out the jeep window for some bird to pop out of the bushes, this juvenile Pomarine Skua came in off the sea and landed on the beach.  It took a small rest, and then decided to fly out into the mouth of the harbour, where large gulls and Kittiwakes were sitting on the water.  This young bird has a lot to learn as he decided to take on an adult Great Black-backed Gull to try and make it regurgitate some food.  Why didn't he just pick on a smaller Kittiwake, it might have been more productive as he flew off with nothing to show for his efforts.

Pomarine Skua

Today Friday 7th October 2011 I was at Loop Head and done a couple of hours sea watching at the Bridges of Ross and Fodry Point where there were 37 Pomarine Skuas (see shots attached), along with one juvenile Sabine's Gull, ten Arctic Skuas, ten Bonxies, one Red-breasted Merganser, one Great Northern Diver and two Red-throated Divers.

Pomarine Skua

Today there was brilliant seabird passage off the Bridges of Ross with highlights as follows. One Wilson’s Storm Petrel (John N Murphy), four Great Shearwaters, four Balearic Shearwaters, 4,500 Sooty Shearwaters, 10,000 Manx Shearwaters, two Blue Fulmars, 21 Leach’s Petrels, 80 Storm Petrels, 83 Bonxies, 12 Pomarine Skuas, 44 Arctic Skuas, two adult Long-tailed Skuas, 73 Sabine’s Gulls, two Black Terns, 261 Arctic Terns, two Common Terns, four Sandwich Terns, one Common Scoter, one Great Northern Diver, 26 Whimbrel and 43 Puffins.  My favourite birds of the day were the Sabine's Gulls and these Pomarine Skuas.