Niall Benvie - Arctic skua on a mission

 

Most visitors to Iceland’s famous Jokulsarlon lagoon are attracted by its icebergs which, I admit, can be very impressive. But in the summer, the real interest for me is at the mouth of the lagoon’s outflow channel where it meets the sea. Here, small fish washed out of the lagoon attract scores of arctic terns. And terns with fish are sure to attract arctic skuas eager to relieve them of their catch. I noticed that this particular skua rested on an iceberg just offshore between sorties so it was just a matter of waiting for take off – and reacting quickly.


Posted on: 29/07/2016
Photo info - 03.07.2016: NIKON D810, 500 mm, ISO 2500, f 6, 1/4000 sec, Flash: not used

Tags: 2016, Bird, flight, Iceland, Jökulsárlón, July, Niall Benvie, Stercorarius parasiticus


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Comments

  1. Susan J. Smith said:

    30/07/2016 15:14

    I love this image and it is really cool to be able to visualize where you captured it. What a great memory. Thank you.