Tag Archives: ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis)

Busy birds

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Just a couple of photos from my walk a few days ago.  It seemed birds ruled the lake that morning.  They were everywhere and in large numbers.

These pictures include a great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis), American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), American coots (Fulica americana), rock doves (Columba livia) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus).  I’m sure there are other species hidden in the background of the first one that are not identifiable in that view.

Various species of birds hanging out at the lake (173_7351)
Various species of birds hanging out at the lake (173_7367)

I long to take flight

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A few captivating tidbits from today’s walk…

This is a male great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus).  He had been perched on the pier quite close to me.  As luck would have it, he took to the air the moment I snapped the photo.  But I wasn’t terribly disappointed given this shot.

A male great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) taking flight (173_7366)

Here are several members of a colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) as they leave their group near shore and head out over the water.

Several ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) taking flight over the water (173_7331)

And here’s the lucky shot of the day.  This is an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) as it flew directly over me.  I was standing near a line of trees when two of these massive birds suddenly appeared overhead.  With trees in front of me and trees behind me, I had no time to piddle with camera settings or even take aim lest I lose the chance.  So I just aimed the lens toward the sky and pressed the button.  I was pleasantly surprised I had captured anything worth sharing given the circumstances.

An American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flying overhead (174_7401)

How I’d love to be able to join them in the ether lifted high on my own wings and power, free to soar at will sans cumbersome machinery or mechanisms.

A day with the gulls

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You know what a day with the gulls is, don’t you?  You get together with some avian friends, go to the beauty parlor and get your plumage done, do some charity work, and have lunch and cocktails…

Er… wait a minute.  That’s a day with the girls, not gulls.

Okay, scratch that.

A day with the gulls is when you’re walking around the lake and wind up stumbling upon a colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) hanging out on the local pier.  Yes, that’s what I meant.

So I had a day with the gulls.  Or at least an hour or two.

A colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) lounging on the pier in early morning sunlight

The usual gulp of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) can be seen hanging out in the background.  Meanwhile, an American coot (Fulica americana) is peeking through under the pier while an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) lazily saunters between the pillars on the left.  It was certainly a busy time near shore.

I sat on the pier for quite a while watching the gulls and other lake inhabitants as they started their day with warm sunshine and a steady breeze.  It could not have been a more inviting scenario.

A colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) lounging on the pier while a double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) takes off from the water behind them

I did not realize until later that the above photo had captured one of the cormorants taking off from the water.  You can see it on the left between the pier’s two columns.

But cormorants weren’t the only winged beasts flitting about that glorious morning.  And the gulls weren’t the only inhabitants of the pier.

A colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) on the pier while two great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) fly by in different directions

Two male great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) flew by in different directions while a male and a female perched along the side watching the goings on with feigned disinterest.  The gulls, meanwhile, ignored the interlopers.

I tried to sneak a bit closer to the birds with hopes of capturing some better photographs.  I’m sorry to say they grew restless as I approached.  It’s not that they were terrified by my presence; they simply assumed I had something for them and promptly swarmed into the air waiting for the handouts to begin.

My apologies for arriving empty-handed fell on deaf ears, though.  That was never more evident than when they screamed at me in sharp trills.  So I backed away and tried to be as inconspicuous as I could be.  Of course, that’s rather difficult when standing on a pier over open water with no cover save that available were I to leap into the water and hide amongst the shore’s foliage.

Yet the gulls, having realized I wasted their time, promptly went back to congregating.  That’s when I captured this one coming in for a landing.

A colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) on the pier as one comes in for a landing

Beneath the approaching gull and behind the two standing on the pier is the same pelican slowly meandering toward the shallows of Sunset Bay.  That bird was never in a hurry.

I’m happy to say we all enjoyed the morning together despite my lack of social graces (i.e., not bringing food for them).

Placidity

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Two scenes taken yesterday from the lake’s opposite poles.

From a pier at the north end looking due south:

Standing on a northern pier at the lake looking due south

Mostly what you see are American coots (Fulica americana) along with a few ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) in the distance.  With no clouds and no wind, an ozone haze lay heavily on the surface.  That’s what you see on the horizon.

From the spillway at the southwest end looking northeast:

Standing on the spillway at the southwest end of the look looking northwest across the water

The white specks in the middle of the water and on the left are American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos).

Hidden amongst the detritus

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Several weeks after torrential rains had caused significant flooding in this area, I took a walk at the lake (more from that walk here, here, and here).  That the flooding had been extensive is uncontested.  In fact, a week later the floodplain was still a lake unto itself, and that provided an interesting canvas for freezing temperatures.

But during my walk before the weather turned cold, the results of the flooding lay everywhere.  Most of it was natural debris, such as twigs and sticks and leaves.  Occasional tidbits of litter also could be found, yet the flood’s most apparent traces were pieces and parts of local flora.

My walk took me close to the pier in Sunset Bay, and I spied a large number of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) standing upon it in the morning light.  They were preening and gabbing, and then gabbing and preening.  I made my way toward them to see if I could get a photo or two.

Ring-billed gulls on the pier with American coots beneath them and double-crested cormorants in the background

From that vantage, I could also see double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) further out in the water and a few American coots (Fulica americana) bobbing along under and beside the pier.  Something else caught my attention, too.  Behind the brush and tucked away on top of a large pile of flood-related debris that had been washed ashore, I spied a dab of white in the lower-left corner of the frame, something too large to be a bit of flotsam.  Besides, it was moving.

I ventured further out on the pier for a better look.  What I discovered was a beautiful white duck.  Like the gulls, it had nestled down in a comfy spot to preen and enjoy some early sunshine… you know, something to take the chill out of the morning air.

A white duck preening while nestled atop natural debris on the shore

This appears to be the same species of duck I’ve seen before but could not identify.  White ducks come in various flavors and… wait for it… they all look alike: white, and like ducks.  There are many of this particular breed at the lake.  In fact, I also caught a few of them doing a drive-by while I took some video of an egret.

Because she seemed comfortable and busy with her morning routine, I left her where she was and bothered her no more.  Although I’ll add she didn’t seem bothered by me much at all.  After one quick look when I first approached her, she went right back to grooming and cleaning without a second glance.

[Update] I have since identified the white duck as a pekin duck (a.k.a. domestic duck, white pekin duck, or Long Island duck; Anas domesticus).