Ring-billed Gull standing on an ice next to open water – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/4000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I feel like I have to admit something about the title of this post so here goes… at first I had this titled “Just A Ring-billed Gull Drinking Water From An Icy Pond” which was sort of tongue in cheek because I am aware that some people find gulls to be common, annoying and “just a gull” but for me there is no such thing as “just a gull” and I’m not alone. There are those of us who love gulls and some people that will go out of their way to find, watch and photograph them. There are Facebook groups for people who love gulls and blogs that are focused on them entirely. Just take a look at Amar Ayyash’s blog “Anything Larus” which is chock full of great photos and tons of information about gulls.
I removed the “Just A” from the title for this post and added “Focusing On A” instead. Why? Because I was focused on observing and photographing this Ring-billed Gull drinking from an icy pond and I’m happy to say that I was.
I watched and photographed this gull as it moved carefully towards the edge of the ice. I’ve seen gulls fall through soft ice into the water at the edge of ice before and perhaps this gull had already done that some time in its life because it did walk to the edge with caution. I wouldn’t say it tiptoed to the edge but it was pretty close to that.
Ring-billed Gull drinking from an icy pond – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/4000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When the Ring-billed Gull reached the edge of the ice it bent the front part of its body way down with its tail end up in the air to take a sip from the icy pond which gave me a great view of its bill barely touching the water. Once it scooped some of the water into its bill…
Ring-billed Gull swallowing after taking a drink of water – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
It raised its head and tilted its bill skyward so that the cold water could flow down its throat.
I had hoped to take more photos of this Ring-billed Gull drinking and taking off when it was done but I got distracted by a nearby duck and missed it when the gull flew away three frames later. I should have kept my focus on this gull but when I see other things with feathers I just have to look.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Ring-billed Gull photos plus facts and information about this species.
Lovely shots!
You have a knack for photographing the ordinary and making it extraordinary. That ice is pretty thick and the water reflections so smooth, particularly in the first image. Yes, ring-billed Gulls are “a dime a dozen” here, but like the robin, a welcome harbinger of spring.
There is nothing ‘just’ about gulls. Or indeed any bird.
Lovely shots. Thank you.
So glad you gave this guy some “camera love!” I really like the aesthetic of his body position in the last shot.
Very nice shots Mia…I’m not a fan of “just a ” either….I pretty much like anything with feathers myself…These are excellent shots of a Ring-billed Gull..I like the one with his head down especially…Thank you