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Great Skuas

Arctic Tern with Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

And still the chase goes on…

The Arctic Tern chicks have fledged, yet Great Skuas still patrol and Arctic Tern parents still chase them off. It’s an ever-repeating …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Flashy wings

The go-faster stripes on this Great Skua are very distinctive. They’re very Starsky & Hutch and their 1976 Ford Gran Torino.

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Bonxies

Bonxie is the name for the Great Skua, Stercorarius skua, here in Orkney. It’s the Norse name for them. If you’ve ever …

Puffin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Flypast

I’m sat on the cliffs of Westray in pleasant light. It’s the middle of summer and it’s finally made it to 16 …

Bonxie and Oystercatcher - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Scolder

Eurasian Oystercatchers have no fear. They’re happy to make the lives of any other bird, or even human, a misery with their …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Bonxies on a boat

Great Skuas, Stercorarius skua, are known as Bonxies in Orkney. Their flashing go-faster white wing-stripes are a familiar sight as they patrol …

Bonxie v Baakie - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The struggle for survival

In the battle of Bonxie v Baakie there was only ever going to be one winner. It was the Bonxie. Here it …

Bonxie v Baakie - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Bonxie v Baakie

Bonxie v Baakie. Who do you think will win the epic battle of the fish? It’s Great Skua v Great Black-Backed Gull …

Stronsay - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A day trip to Stronsay

Stronsay is one of the ‘other’ Orkney islands. I’ve not been there before because there’s no way of getting there from Westray …

Great Skuas and Kittiwake - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Escape?

After seeing a couple of successful attacks by Great Skuas against juvenile Kittiwakes I feared the worst when this one strayed over …

Great Skua - Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Bonxie ballet

Great Skuas are large birds. They’re the size of a gull. They are powerful and barrel-chested. Bonxie is their local name, originally …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Stumbling across a Great Skua

Great Skuas are one of my favourite birds. They are a constant delight as they patrol the shoreline, flying low and surprising …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Kray Twins

There’s a young Great Skua ahead. That spells danger. There must be an adult or two around somewhere and I feel my …

Skua Patrol

Great Skuas eat fish, carrion or other birds. I’ve seen them pluck another bird clean out of the air and head down …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Great Skuas

Great Skuas are called great, not because they are wonderful, which they are, but because they are large. They’re really Greater Skuas. …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Pickieternos v Bonxies

Orkney has its own names for its birds. Many of these are from the Old Norse language and came with the Vikings …

Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Skewered by a Skua

I normally only see Great Skuas from behind as they disappear along the cliffs. They have a wonderful habit of cruising up …

The Atlantic - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Atlantic

Westray has two sides: a North Sea side and an Atlantic Ocean side. They meet with dramatic consequences at the northernmost and …