Skuas and Terns

I had a quick look off Black Rock Sands beach early morning and was rewarded with a  nice Pomarine Skua and an Arctic chasing Terns.  

 

On then to Cricieth which was very quiet with only an Arctic Skua bobbing on the water, so I moved west again to Penychain.  A walk through the scrub here produced plenty of whitethroats, wheatears and a Whimbrel  on the new golf course being developed there, but little else. Things improved as I settled down on the headland to seawatch. I quickly found a distant roseate tern in amongst  a flock of comic terns and also an Arctic Skua, dark phase adult this time, harassing the terns. There were plenty of Gannets Manxies and a Guillemots as well as 3 red-thorated divers  and a couple of porpoise. After half an hour or so I picked up the roseate again but this time very close - only juts off the rocks  fishing with  5 sandwich terns. It remained here giving fantastic views until I left an hour later when the rain set it. There was a hint of a pink flush on the breast and the call was very distinctive - a short phik! - not really di-syllabic as described in Collins. A  very smart bird and only the second I think I've found locally away from breeding sites.