Seagulls / Anacortes, WA / July 2016
 |
| Seagull prints / Seaside, OR/ July 2016 |
I can almost feel the hotter sun upon me and, the closer you get to the water, I can imagine the brighter sun which sparkles on all it hits. I spent the majority of my growing-up years in San Diego. There are so many places of water beauty that provided happy memories - Torrey Pines State Park, Mission Beach, La Jolla Shores, Mission Bay, Shelter Island, Coronado Island, San Diego Harbor, and Point Loma.
The call of the gulls is something I have missed in Hawai’i. For some reason there are no gulls flying over the beaches of Hawai’i. Perhaps gulls are not strong enough flyers to have established populations in Hawai’i.
Luckily as I have camped and traveled, I have visited many places that provide me with my gull call “fix!”
 |
| Seagulls / Patrick’s Point State Park, CA / June 2015 |
 |
| Seagull flying / Seaside, OR/ July 2016 |
Something that is very interesting to me is that many of the gulls I saw, from coast to coast, appear to be the same gull!
It is the iconic seagull featured in models and statues.
 |
| Herring Seagull / above Bodega Bay, CA / June 2011 |
 |
| Herring Seagull / Venice Fishing Pier, CA / December 2015 |
 |
| Herring Seagull / outside Freeport, ME / June 2016 |
I can’t definitively tell the gulls in my photos apart but after examination of my sources, I believe even the iconic gulls I saw in California, were actually Herring Gulls as opposed to California Gulls. Gull comparison information
There are many gulls which look a great deal a lot, even many species with red dots on their yellow beaks! I remember learning about the red dot on the beak in college. When feeding stranded baby gulls, the red dot had to be present on the stick beak to instigate the feeding behavior of the young.
 |
| Herring Seagull / Priest Point, WA / July 2016 |
 |
| Herring Seagulls / Carl Washburne State Park, OR/ June 2015 |
 |
| Herring Seagull / Acadia National Park, ME / June 2016 |
I determined these photos of gulls all showed Herring Gulls as the gulls all appear to have pink legs / feet. Herring Gull information It was very difficult to identify the gulls in my photos. I cannot believe I still have not learned to carefully take photos with attention to feet, beaks, wing coloring, etc. as noted in a much earlier blog! [January 21, 2016 - California beach … birds!]
I should have known there were many types of gulls, as with most birds! So for time, and sanity sake, I will not try to identify any of the other gulls in my photos!
 |
| Seagulls / Patrick’s Point State Park, CA / June 2015 |
 |
| Seagulls / Carl Washburne State Park, OR/ June 2015 |
To complicate matters even more, I learned that it takes about two years for gulls to fully mature. As the gulls age, the gulls may look like a completely different species and some will even change from season to season! Gull variation So in many of my photos there may be Herring Gulls that are in their first or even second summer!
 |
| Seagull / Seaside, OR/ July 2016 |
 |
| Seagulls / Astoria, OR / June 2015 |
 |
| Seagull / Cape Lookout State Park, OR/ June 2015 |
I believe the gulls pictured above / around do have to be different species as there is not a predominant red dot on the gulls’ beaks. The beak tip is black.
I also am fascinated by how gulls group together. I also think, surprisingly, gulls group with many gull species together. This fact is reinforced by one of my sources. Gull groups
 |
| Seagull prints / Seaside, OR/ July 2016 |
 |
| Seagulls / Seaside, OR/ July 2016 |
 |
| Seagulls / off Guemes Channel Trail, WA / July 2016 |
 |
| Seagulls / off Guemes Channel Trail, WA / July 2016 |
I have even observed unbelievably large groups of gulls!
 |
| Seagulls / near Astoria, OR / June 2015 |
They will also group in the middle of the ocean. I think this is most likely due to a food source.
Seagulls / off Washington Park, WA / July 2016
 |
| Seagull / Seaside, OR/ July 201 |
I have observed gulls using many modes of feeding. Unfortunately one food source is human food, either wastes or provided.
 |
| Seagulls / Carl Washburne State Park, OR/ June 2015 |
 |
| Seagull / off Bar Island, ME / June 2016 |
Luckily, on less populated beaches, I have seen gulls relying on their own resources whether eating tiny sea creatures or using their intelligence to eat larger shelled sea creatures - mollusks.
Although not captured in film, I have seen gulls fly by and drop clams on asphalt and rocks to get to the soft flesh within! But I was very lucky to observe this gull preparing to dive and diving, presumably to "fish!"
Seagull “hunting” / Fort Stevens State Park, WA / July 2016
 |
| Seagull and baby / Seaside, OR/ July 201 |
Just recently I was lucky to observe, my favorite, a parent with its baby!
I love how the juvenal calls to the adult above. And of course, how the young bird, still relying on its parent for food, is nearly the same size as the adults. This seems to be a pattern in the world of birds as noted with my cardinal photos. [May 19, 2016 - It’s twins - twice! Cardinals that is!]
We observed the parent and juvenal on the same house over a number of days.
Well, “that’s all folks!” This “laughing” gull is a nice closure to this week’s blog where yet again I explored birdlife as I “watched out for nature.”
Seagull “laughing” / Port Townsend, WA / July 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment