Growing up in Southern California and living less than 20 minutes from the ocean, seagulls are no strangers to me. I remember watching seagulls at the beach, as they ran around the sand looking for food. Whenever someone would feed them, all hell broke loose and dozens more appeared out of nowhere. The last time I was at the beach was this summer and I saw a seagull fly up to a little girl who was eating a hamburger. It scared her to death, but it was just another day at the beach for the bird. Every time I hear a seagull, I think of the Finding Nemo movie -- Mine, mine, mine!
The other day we did some shopping in town. Rick ran in to Best Buy and I stayed in the car with the boys. They were finishing up some of their lunch from McDonalds when we noticed some gulls flying around the parking lot. I never encourage the boys to feed wildlife, but I let them toss out a few French fry pieces this time. The only reason I did was because I had my camera and wanted to get some pictures. A photo of a seagull in a parking lot isn't quite as nice as some of the ones I've taken of them on the sand or on piers. However, I managed to get a few close-ups, so I was happy. Unlike others I've seen, this bird wasn't overly aggressive and took off pretty quick.
I believe this is a ring-billed gull. It was funny seeing gulls when we moved here because like many people, I thought they only lived near the oceans. As it turns out, many gulls live inland and never even see a beach in their lifetime. We have a lot of lakes here and we see many different species of gulls. They spend the summers here, but I believe they migrate south for the winter. Here are some other facts about ring-billed gulls ...
Most return to the same nesting site as the year before.
They eat fish, insects, earthworms, rodents, and garbage.
They nest on the ground and nest in colonies.
They lay 1-4 eggs at a time.
Eggs are light olive colored with brown speckles.
Chicks may leave the nest at one day old.
Their wingspan can be 41 to 46 inches in length.
In the 1800s, they were almost eliminated by hunting.
We see a lot of gulls here, especially at the lakes and such. They're a pretty bird I guess. That is a nice picture~
ReplyDeleteNancy
Nice close-up, Rena. Anything for a good shot! ;)
ReplyDeleteThey're here in the high desert. In high school, there were so many of them flying around and I actually got shat on once, as I was coming out of class. So close to getting my head, but instead it landed on my shoulder & arm. Half of my friends laughed, the other half were apologetic. I suppose the only fortunate thing about that incident was that I was wearing a jacket when it happened, so none of it got on my clothes.
Gale
I'm so impressed with your photography, Rena.
ReplyDeleteWe have gulls in Oklahoma, too.
Vivian
Hi, rena cool shot, in my town here in Scotland, the gulls attack you for your french fries.
ReplyDeleteDon't see too many seagulls here. But your title totally reminded me of the disney movie, "Finding Nemo"....and then you talk about it. LOVE Ellen in that movie.
ReplyDeleteHave a good day! :)
At Disney World, at the Finding Nemo attraction, those gulls greet you. Mine. Mine. Mine. Funny!
ReplyDeleteCool pic!
You are an amazing photo'ist!
ReplyDeleteIn the islands they are called half-half birds (or laughing gulls) because they will sit on the head of a pelican that has caught a fish and demand, "Half! Half!"
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I don't like seagulls very much. I can't say that I have ever had a positive interaction with one! lol The ones around here seem to sweep low overhead and always remind me of the Hitchcock movie The Birds - instead of crows, this is the gulls version. Eek.
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