South Polar Skua
Stercorarius maccormicki

6 November 2004
Gulf of Mexico, ~44 miles east of Port Isabel, Texas
Canon EOS 10D, 100-400mm IS lens, 1.4X extender.

The bird made one quick pass over the boat and high-tailed it away too fast to follow. If accepted by the Texas Bird Records Committee, this would be the 2nd documented record of South Polar Skua in the Gulf of Mexico. Other photos and commentary on the bird's identification can be found on Martin Reid's website at http://www.martinreid.com/skuay.html.

Photos 1 and 3 were taken as the bird approached the boat, with the second photo being a little closer to zenith than the first one, but both shy of being directly overhead. As a result, the photos give the impression the wing was shorter than it actually was. The photos taken as the bird flew away do a better job at showing relative wing width and tail length. Photos 2 and 4 are lightened versions of the originals.

All images are copyrighted by Chris Merkord, all rights reserved