Great Skua, Stercorarius skua

Local status: Very rare passage migrant

All birds have been associated with periods of strong onshore winds and bad weather. The vast majority of inland records in Yorkshire occur in the autumn and thus the first record of one at Wheldrake Ings is remarkable. This bird arrived in atrocious weather and apparently harried a Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, in an attempt to force it to disgorge food. The 2016 bird also killed and ate a Grey Heron

Records:
2016: Wheldrake Ings, 4th February 2016 and remained there for four days (one)

Great Skua, Wheldrake Ings © Mark Coates, February 2016
Great Skua, Wheldrake Ings © Mark Coates, February 2016

2007: Malton, 11th November. Picked up alive and released at Bempton.
2007: Ellerton Ings, 13th September.
1983: York University, 14th November. Flew east.
1981: Wheldrake Ings, 26th April. Appeared in snow and a force eight northeast wind.