The Long-tailed Skua is a magnificent bird and a real rarity in the Severn Estuary.
It has been seen on Severnside on the following dates:
4th October 1981, juvenile, New Passage
3rd September 1983, New Passage
26th September 1988, adult, Severn Beach and New Passage
20th September 1990, adult, New Passage
5th May 1991, New Passage
25th-27th November 1994, adult, New Passage and Severn Beach (27th)
14th May 2002, adult, Chittening Warth
6th September 2008, juvenile from New Passage
11th March 2021
The images below are scans of 35 mm prints taken of the famous 1994 bird. It was first found at New Passage on the 25th but not seen again until late in afternoon of the 26th when it was discovered feeding on discarded fishing bait. The top images were taken in very poor light at New Passage and show the bird in flight with the Second Crossing under construction in the background.
The bottom images show the bird on the shingle at Severn Beach where it showed to a few metres allowing many visiting bird watchers to obtain fantastic views.
