Chilean Skua

I saw this species in many coastal areas across my four weeks in Chile, but it wasn't until my last day in the country that this perfect opportunity presented. We'd just finished up at the penguin colony on Magdalena Island near Punta Arenas when this hulking beast went rocketing down the the left side of our boat. We were pitching around a lot at that moment, but I managed to get the lens up and steady it in time to capture this frame. I really like the upstroke pose as it shows the cinnamon wing linings which differentiate this skua from other species.

Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile, 1/3/22
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x III on EOS R5
1/1600 at f/5.6, ISO 1600
***watermarked as 2021 since the trip was almost entirely in 2021