Great Skua resting on the beach, May 13 1996. This bird was quite approachable - it eventually stood up, took off, circled and flew away.  Of the two skua species reported in the Scotian Shelf region, Great Skuas have been seen live on and near Sable Island, mostly during October through January, and several relatively fresh carcasses of South Polar Skuas were found on the beach.  In the North Atlantic, the Great Skua breeds in Scotland, Iceland and the Faeroes, and winters off western Africa and in the western Atlantic.

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