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JOE PENDER { 36 images } Created 25 Sep 2013

Joe Pender is a Scillonian born and bred, and skipper of the MV Sapphire, operating pelagic seabird-watching trips out of St Mary’s. His skills at seabird photography match his nautical prowess and Nature Photographers is proud to represent his work, a selection of which is showcased in this gallery. More of Joe's photographs can be found in the main image galleries.
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  • Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus - Adult. L 25-28cm. Our smallest gull. Has buoyant, tern-like flight. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has pale grey upperwings with white wingtips, dark hood, dark bill and short, reddish legs. In flight, upperwings have white trailing edge and rounded white wingtip; underwings are dark with white trailing edge. In winter, similar but loses dark hood; otherwise white head has dark smudges on crown and ear coverts. Juvenile has striking black bar (forming letter ‘W’) on upperwings and back. Note dark markings on mantle, nape and ear coverts, and dark tail band; plumage is otherwise white. 1st winter is similar to juvenile but back is pale grey, hence dark bar is seen only on wings. Adult plumage acquired over next 2 years. Voice Utters a sharp kyeck call. Status Regular but scarce passage migrant and winter visitor; mainly coastal.
    154239.jpg
  • Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus L 25-28cm. Our smallest gull. Has buoyant, tern-like flight. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has pale grey upperwings with white wingtips, dark hood, dark bill and short, reddish legs. In flight, upperwings have white trailing edge and rounded white wingtip; underwings are dark with white trailing edge. In winter, similar but loses dark hood; otherwise white head has dark smudges on crown and ear coverts. Juvenile has striking black bar (forming letter ‘W’) on upperwings and back. Note dark markings on mantle, nape and ear coverts, and dark tail band; plumage is otherwise white. 1st winter is similar to juvenile but back is pale grey, hence dark bar is seen only on wings. Adult plumage acquired over next 2 years. Voice Utters a sharp kyeck call. Status Regular but scarce passage migrant and winter visitor; mainly coastal.
    154238.jpg
  • Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus - Adult. L 25-28cm. Our smallest gull. Has buoyant, tern-like flight. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has pale grey upperwings with white wingtips, dark hood, dark bill and short, reddish legs. In flight, upperwings have white trailing edge and rounded white wingtip; underwings are dark with white trailing edge. In winter, similar but loses dark hood; otherwise white head has dark smudges on crown and ear coverts. Juvenile has striking black bar (forming letter ‘W’) on upperwings and back. Note dark markings on mantle, nape and ear coverts, and dark tail band; plumage is otherwise white. 1st winter is similar to juvenile but back is pale grey, hence dark bar is seen only on wings. Adult plumage acquired over next 2 years. Voice Utters a sharp kyeck call. Status Regular but scarce passage migrant and winter visitor; mainly coastal.
    154237.jpg
  • Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis L 40-47cm.<br />
 Elegant diving duck, at home in roughest of seas. Dives for bottom-dwelling invertebrates. In flight, has dark wings and mainly white underparts. Sexes are dissimilar in other respects. Adult male, in winter and spring looks mainly black, grey and white with buffish patch around eye and pink band on bill. In summer and eclipse (both seldom seen here) has mainly brown and black plumage, with white on belly and flanks and pale buff eye patch; bill is dark. Adult female, in winter is mainly brown and white; face is white except for dark cheek patch and crown. In summer, similar but face is mainly brown, with pale eye patch. Juvenile is similar to adult female in summer. Voice Male utters nasal ow–owlee. Status Mainly a winter visitor, commonest in N. Favours shallow coastal seas.
    154235.jpg
  • Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica L 60-70cm. Swims buoyantly with bill held level. Dives frequently. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has blue-grey nape and head, and black throat; sides of neck have black and white lines. Back is dark with white spots; underparts are white. In winter, upperparts mainly grey-black and underparts whitish; note white patch on flanks at water level in swimming birds. Juvenile is similar to winter adult but grubby-looking. Voice Mostly silent. Status Rare breeding species on large Scottish lochs. Scarce in winter, mainly in coastal waters.
    154234.jpg
  • Great Skua Stercorarius skua L 48-52cm. Bulky seabird. Gull-like but note large head, dark legs and dark bill. In flight, shows striking white wing patch. Part scavenger, part predator and food parasite of Gannet. Sexes are similar. Adult is brown with buff and golden-brown streaks. Juvenile is uniformly dark brown and rufous. Voice Mostly silent. Status Locally common summer visitor and passage migrant. Nests near seabird colonies in Scotland; Orkney and Shetland are strongholds. Passage birds invariably seen at sea.
    154233.jpg
  • Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus. (L 36-42cm) recalls an Arctic Skua but is slimmer with much longer tail streamers in adult; long, pointed wings lack Arctic’s white patch. Adult has mainly grey-brown upperparts, dark cap and whitish neck and underparts; note faint yellow flush on cheeks. Juvenile is variably barred grey-brown, palest on nape and chest. Look for it during storms on Outer Hebrides in spring, Cornish coasts in autumn.
    154232.jpg
  • Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus - second summer plumage. (L 36-42cm) recalls an Arctic Skua but is slimmer with much longer tail streamers in adult; long, pointed wings lack Arctic’s white patch. Adult has mainly grey-brown upperparts, dark cap and whitish neck and underparts; note faint yellow flush on cheeks. Juvenile is variably barred grey-brown, palest on nape and chest. Look for it during storms on Outer Hebrides in spring, Cornish coasts in autumn.
    154231.jpg
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus L 46cm. Aerobatic, graceful seabird with deep wingbeats and narrow, pointed wings. Food parasite of Arctic Tern and Kittiwake. Adult has wedge-shaped tail and pointed streamers. Sexes are similar but adults occur in two morphs. Adult pale phase has white neck, breast and belly, dark cap and otherwise grey-brown plumage. Note faint yellowish flush on cheeks. Adult dark phase is uniformly dark grey-brown. Juvenile is dark rufous brown. Voice Utters nasal calls near nest. Status Local summer visitor to Scottish coasts; coastal passage migrant elsewhere.
    154230.jpg
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus L 46cm. Aerobatic, graceful seabird with deep wingbeats and narrow, pointed wings. Food parasite of Arctic Tern and Kittiwake. Adult has wedge-shaped tail and pointed streamers. Sexes are similar but adults occur in two morphs. Adult pale phase has white neck, breast and belly, dark cap and otherwise grey-brown plumage. Note faint yellowish flush on cheeks. Adult dark phase is uniformly dark grey-brown. Juvenile is dark rufous brown. Voice Utters nasal calls near nest. Status Local summer visitor to Scottish coasts; coastal passage migrant elsewhere.
    154229.jpg
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus L 46cm. Aerobatic, graceful seabird with deep wingbeats and narrow, pointed wings. Food parasite of Arctic Tern and Kittiwake. Adult has wedge-shaped tail and pointed streamers. Sexes are similar but adults occur in two morphs. Adult pale phase has white neck, breast and belly, dark cap and otherwise grey-brown plumage. Note faint yellowish flush on cheeks. Adult dark phase is uniformly dark grey-brown. Juvenile is dark rufous brown. Voice Utters nasal calls near nest. Status Local summer visitor to Scottish coasts; coastal passage migrant elsewhere.
    154228.jpg
  • Common Scoter Melanitta nigra L 44-54cm. Male is our only all-black duck. Rather long tail is sometimes raised when swimming. Gregarious outside breeding season. In flight, looks mainly dark but paler flight feathers can sometimes be seen. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly black plumage. Head sheen only visible at close range. Bill is mostly dark but with yellow ridge; base is bulbous base. 1st winter male has browner plumage are all-dark bill. Adult female has mainly dark brown plumage with pale buff cheeks. Juvenile resembles aadult female. Voice Mostly silent. Status Rare breeding bird, found on vegetated N lakes and lochs. Locally fairly common in winter, found on coasts with sandy seabeds.
    154227.jpg
  • Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis L 40-47cm.<br />
 Elegant diving duck, at home in roughest of seas. Dives for bottom-dwelling invertebrates. In flight, has dark wings and mainly white underparts. Sexes are dissimilar in other respects. Adult male, in winter and spring looks mainly black, grey and white with buffish patch around eye and pink band on bill. In summer and eclipse (both seldom seen here) has mainly brown and black plumage, with white on belly and flanks and pale buff eye patch; bill is dark. Adult female, in winter is mainly brown and white; face is white except for dark cheek patch and crown. In summer, similar but face is mainly brown, with pale eye patch. Juvenile is similar to adult female in summer. Voice Male utters nasal ow–owlee. Status Mainly a winter visitor, commonest in N. Favours shallow coastal seas
    154226.jpg
  • Slavonian Grebe - Podiceps auritus - winter plumage. L 31-38cm. Buoyant little waterbird with beady red eye. Flattish crown and white-tipped, even-shaped bill (both mandibles are curved) allow separation from Black-necked. White patches on both leading and trailing edges of wings are seen in flight. Sexes are similar. Adult has reddish orange neck and flanks. Back is black and black head has golden-yellow plumes. In winter, has black upperparts and white underparts with clear demarcation between black cap and white cheeks. Juvenile is similar to winter adult. Voice Utters trills and squeals at nest. Status Scarce winter visitor to sheltered coastal waters. Rare breeding bird in Scotland, on shallow lochs with abundant sedges.
    154225.jpg
  • Sabine’s Gull Larus sabini L 30-35cm. Distinctive seabird. Can only be confused with juvenile Kittiwake but upperwing patterns are separable with care. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has blue-grey back and upperwings, dark hood, dark wingtips with white spots and dark bill with yellow tip. In flight, upperwing pattern is diagnostic: triangular patches of black, white and grey. Tail is forked. In winter, similar but dark smudges on nape replace dark hood. Juvenile has a upperwing pattern to adult but triangle of grey replaced by scaly grey-brown. Forked tail is dark-tipped. Voice Silent. Status Nests in high Arctic and winters at sea in southern oceans. Seen here mainly as offshore passage migrant in autumn. Does not willingly come close to land.
    144850.jpg
  • Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini L 30-35cm. Distinctive seabird. Can only be confused with juvenile Kittiwake but upperwing patterns are separable with care. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has blue-grey back and upperwings, dark hood, dark wingtips with white spots and dark bill with yellow tip. In flight, upperwing pattern is diagnostic: triangular patches of black, white and grey. Tail is forked. In winter, similar but dark smudges on nape replace dark hood. Juvenile has a upperwing pattern to adult but triangle of grey replaced by scaly grey-brown. Forked tail is dark-tipped. Voice Silent. Status Nests in high Arctic and winters at sea in southern oceans. Seen here mainly as offshore passage migrant in autumn. Does not willingly come close to land.
    145610.jpg
  • Sooty Shearwater - Ardenna grisea
    144836.jpg
  • Great Shearwater - Ardenna gravis
    145616.jpg
  • Great Shearwater - Ardenna gravis
    145615.jpg
  • Great Shearwater - Ardenna gravis
    145618.jpg
  • Sooty Shearwater - Ardenna grisea
    145612.jpg
  • Sooty Shearwater - Ardenna grisea
    145614.jpg
  • Grey Phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus. L 20-21cm. Confiding wader that habitually swims and spends its non-breeding life at sea. Bill is shorter and stouter than similar Red-necked, and has yellow base. Sexes are dissimilar in breeding plumage (seen here occasionally). Winter adult has grey upperparts, white underparts, dark cap and nape, and black ‘panda’ mark the eye. Adult female in summer has orange-red neck and underparts, dark crown, white face patch, and buff-fringed dark back feathers. Adult male in summer is similar but duller. Juvenile recalls winter adult but plumage is tinged buff and back feathers are dark with buff fringes. Voice Utters a sharp pit flight call. Status Nests in high Arctic, winters in tropical seas and seen here on migration, mostly in autumn but sometimes spring. Mainly coastal but sometimes on reservoirs.
    144839.jpg
  • Common Scoter Melanitta nigra L 44-54cm. Male is our only all-black duck. Rather long tail is sometimes raised when swimming. Gregarious outside breeding season. In flight, looks mainly dark but paler flight feathers can sometimes be seen. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly black plumage. Head sheen only visible at close range. Bill is mostly dark but with yellow ridge; base is bulbous base. 1st winter male has browner plumage are all-dark bill. Adult female has mainly dark brown plumage with pale buff cheeks. Juvenile resembles aadult female. Voice Mostly silent. Status Rare breeding bird, found on vegetated N lakes and lochs. Locally fairly common in winter, found on coasts with sandy seabeds.
    145603.jpg
  • Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors. Length 37-40cm. A small distinctive North American duck. Adult male has a bluish head with a striking and diagnostic white crescent. The body is buffish-brown, marbled with darker spots, and a white patch can be seen on the otherwise black stern. Adult female and juvenile are mainly marbled brown and are similar to their Teal counterparts. However, the plumage is greyer; note the pale spot at the base of the bill and the absence of a pale patch at the side of the base of the tail (seen in Teal). In flight, all the birds reveal an extensive and diagnostic blue panel across much of the upper surface of the inner wing. Ten or so individulas might be recorded in a good year, mainly in autumn and winter. Blue-winged Teals favour freshwater wetlands and occur in similar habitats to those frequented by migrant Garganeys in spring and summer.
    144832.jpg
  • Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors. Length 37-40cm. A small distinctive North American duck. Adult male has a bluish head with a striking and diagnostic white crescent. The body is buffish-brown, marbled with darker spots, and a white patch can be seen on the otherwise black stern. Adult female and juvenile are mainly marbled brown and are similar to their Teal counterparts. However, the plumage is greyer; note the pale spot at the base of the bill and the absence of a pale patch at the side of the base of the tail (seen in Teal). In flight, all the birds reveal an extensive and diagnostic blue panel across much of the upper surface of the inner wing. Ten or so individulas might be recorded in a good year, mainly in autumn and winter. Blue-winged Teals favour freshwater wetlands and occur in similar habitats to those frequented by migrant Garganeys in spring and summer.
    144846.jpg
  • Cory’s Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea visit to feed from the Mediterranean and Atlantic islands which is quite a journey.
    144831.jpg
  • Cory’s Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea visit to feed from the Mediterranean and Atlantic islands which is quite a journey.
    144837.jpg
  • Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (L 42-50cm) shares some plumage similarities to Arctic Skua but is appreciably larger, with deep, powerful wingbeats, and long, spoon-shaped tail streamers in adults. Two adult forms occur: dark morph (uniformly dark) is seldom seen while pale morph is more regular; it has white neck and belly, dark grey-brown upperparts, yellow-flushed cheeks and a dark breast band. Juvenile has variably barred dark, grey-brown. Outer Hebrides and NW Ireland are migration hotspots for Pomarine Skuas.
    144828.jpg
  • Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (L 42-50cm) shares some plumage similarities to Arctic Skua but is appreciably larger, with deep, powerful wingbeats, and long, spoon-shaped tail streamers in adults. Two adult forms occur: dark morph (uniformly dark) is seldom seen while pale morph is more regular; it has white neck and belly, dark grey-brown upperparts, yellow-flushed cheeks and a dark breast band. Juvenile has variably barred dark, grey-brown. Outer Hebrides and NW Ireland are migration hotspots for Pomarine Skuas.
    144848.jpg
  • Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (L 42-50cm) shares some plumage similarities to Arctic Skua but is appreciably larger, with deep, powerful wingbeats, and long, spoon-shaped tail streamers in adults. Two adult forms occur: dark morph (uniformly dark) is seldom seen while pale morph is more regular; it has white neck and belly, dark grey-brown upperparts, yellow-flushed cheeks and a dark breast band. Juvenile has variably barred dark, grey-brown. Outer Hebrides and NW Ireland are migration hotspots for Pomarine Skuas.
    144847.jpg
  • Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (L 42-50cm) shares some plumage similarities to Arctic Skua but is appreciably larger, with deep, powerful wingbeats, and long, spoon-shaped tail streamers in adults. Two adult forms occur: dark morph (uniformly dark) is seldom seen while pale morph is more regular; it has white neck and belly, dark grey-brown upperparts, yellow-flushed cheeks and a dark breast band. Juvenile has variably barred dark, grey-brown. Outer Hebrides and NW Ireland are migration hotspots for Pomarine Skuas.
    145625.jpg
  • Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (L 42-50cm) shares some plumage similarities to Arctic Skua but is appreciably larger, with deep, powerful wingbeats, and long, spoon-shaped tail streamers in adults. Two adult forms occur: dark morph (uniformly dark) is seldom seen while pale morph is more regular; it has white neck and belly, dark grey-brown upperparts, yellow-flushed cheeks and a dark breast band. Juvenile has variably barred dark, grey-brown. Outer Hebrides and NW Ireland are migration hotspots for Pomarine Skuas.
    145652.jpg
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus L 46cm. Aerobatic, graceful seabird with deep wingbeats and narrow, pointed wings. Food parasite of Arctic Tern and Kittiwake. Adult has wedge-shaped tail and pointed streamers. Sexes are similar but adults occur in two morphs. Adult pale phase has white neck, breast and belly, dark cap and otherwise grey-brown plumage. Note faint yellowish flush on cheeks. Adult dark phase is uniformly dark grey-brown. Juvenile is dark rufous brown. Voice Utters nasal calls near nest. Status Local summer visitor to Scottish coasts; coastal passage migrant elsewhere.
    144849.jpg
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus L 46cm. Aerobatic, graceful seabird with deep wingbeats and narrow, pointed wings. Food parasite of Arctic Tern and Kittiwake. Adult has wedge-shaped tail and pointed streamers. Sexes are similar but adults occur in two morphs. Adult pale phase has white neck, breast and belly, dark cap and otherwise grey-brown plumage. Note faint yellowish flush on cheeks. Adult dark phase is uniformly dark grey-brown. Juvenile is dark rufous brown. Voice Utters nasal calls near nest. Status Local summer visitor to Scottish coasts; coastal passage migrant elsewhere.
    145654.jpg
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus L 46cm. Aerobatic, graceful seabird with deep wingbeats and narrow, pointed wings. Food parasite of Arctic Tern and Kittiwake. Adult has wedge-shaped tail and pointed streamers. Sexes are similar but adults occur in two morphs. Adult pale phase has white neck, breast and belly, dark cap and otherwise grey-brown plumage. Note faint yellowish flush on cheeks. Adult dark phase is uniformly dark grey-brown. Juvenile is dark rufous brown. Voice Utters nasal calls near nest. Status Local summer visitor to Scottish coasts; coastal passage migrant elsewhere.
    145799.jpg