Singapore Strait 19Mar11

From Con

It was an enjoyable outing today, looks like we got back just in time with the subsequent rain.

Here are my shots of the Pomarine Skua.  I basically got just this view as the skua approached.  When it crossed to the other side of the boat the light was really bad and those shots I don't think add much.

From Danny

Attached are record shots from Jia Sheng taken just below eye level providing different perspective of the young Pomarine Skua. The 1st shot is a head-on view, showing the pale collar between the darker face and brownish breast-band. Refer the left underwing, the large white patch below primaries is separated to two uneven patches by barring.

The 2nd pic is the eye level back view of the uppertail, the colour contrast between the central stub/elongated tip and the rest of the uppertail. The moulting primaries and secondaries on the left upper wing maybe helpful to age the bird.

From Colin Poole

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=204850501291240294288.00049ee833ad68a6a6846

Other than it was pretty quiet, small numbers of Crested, Lesser Crested (24) and Black-naped Terns, and a number of passage White-winged Terns (70+) now returning. Still no Aleutian Terns again.