Image of Great skua

Description:

"There were two individuals chasing Forster's Terns. They were close to shore, photos were taken from the beach. We thought they were Parasitic, but wanted confirmation. I wanted to rule out Pomarine, especially since the bird appeared barrel chested in one of the photos. Here are some helpful comments from Michael O'Brien sent by email (Thanks to Barry Lyon) confirming the ID: ""This is a juv Parasitic. Juv because of the checkered underwing coupled with neat looking plumage with no signs of molt. Given the age, prominent tail points are too long for Pom; also, rather warm overall plumage, a pale nape, and pale vent patch are all typical of juv Parasitic and wrong for juv Pom. Tail covert barring looks more brown & buff rather than black and white typical of Pom and Long-tail. Juv Long-tail would have a pale patch on the lower breast (not vent), dark intrusion on underside of primaries, and colder plumage."""