skuas - Lake Constance, inland, border Germany, Switzerland; 16.9.22 (1 Viewer)

[christoph.randler]

made these shots during the ferry crossing between Germany and Switzerland - not really good...perhaps someone can help? All photos from the same individual

 

[KenM]

I’m thinking Arctic Skua.

Cheers

 

[Ratal]

Long Tailed Skua - note how the tail projection is delicate and rounded. Also the lack of over wing flash.

 

[Ratal]

What also favours it to Long Tailed Skua is that it is far far from the coasts on migration. This is classic behaviour for Long Tailed Skuas who are renown for cutting cross country rather than coastal routes.

 

[KenM]

Long Tailed Skua - note how the tail projection is delicate and rounded. Also the lack of over wing flash.

You may be right, however I thought rightly or wrongly that it appeared perhaps a bit too robust?
Regarding overland passage favouring LTS over AS, I once witnessed 4 (singles) Arctic Skuas early September over a couple of hours, going South over Geneva many years ago fwiw.

Cheers

 

[Ratal]

There isnt any other skua that has little to no over wing flash. None.

That alone makes it a solid ID.

 

[christoph.randler]

made these shots during the ferry crossing between Germany and Switzerland - not really good...perhaps someone can help? All photos from the same individual

Thank you for the discussion, very much appreciated. I have uploaded som additional photos of the same individual - and I found some other photographs on the chip that were highly cropped from one and a half hour earlier, but might be probably the same individual. These photos show show two birds; all other are from the same individual.

 

[Richard Prior]

More skua action from Lake Constance, an Arctic this time, on 13th September:

Détail de l'observation - www.ornitho.ch