Arctic Skua

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 4th 2007. Click image for larger view.

This is an Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) also known as Parasitic Jaeger in North America. These birds are so fascinating to observe (I know I say this a lot but there is nothing more fascinating than the nature) because they chase other birds like seagulls and terns. They are chasing other birds to get the birds to drop whatever they are eating.
Skuas are the pirates of the bird world!

I found a couple of arctic skuas on a marsh pretty far inland. They were probably breeding because a fox came by and the birds attacked it violently. Did I say that I find the nature extremely fascinating?

Here is another photo of the bird sitting on the marsh.

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 4th 2007. Click image for larger view.

This photo is cropped so it’s not as sharp as I want it to be. I’m saving for a lens with longer reach so I can take more wildlife photos.

Information about the pictures:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Ånstadbotn, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway