{"id":120113,"date":"2024-01-25T05:15:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T12:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=120113"},"modified":"2024-01-25T05:21:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T12:21:25","slug":"ring-billed-gull-flying-in-heavy-fog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/25\/ring-billed-gull-flying-in-heavy-fog\/","title":{"rendered":"Ring-billed Gull Flying In Heavy Fog"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once upon a time, in a marsh not so far away, I photographed a Ring-billed Gull flying in heavy fog. It was the densest fog I have ever photographed in.<\/p>\n

If you have never been there, you should know that Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> can be quite foggy at times. Especially during the fall and winter. If you have been there, you most likely already know just how foggy it can get.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Ring-billed Gull flying in heavy fog \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 800, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

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When I am out in the field and find myself in less than optimal lighting conditions for bird photography, I simply do the best I can.<\/p>\n

The heavy fog that morning challenged me. I had to experiment with my exposure compensation. I also had to have enough shutter speed. Then I had to try to focus on moving birds with a moisture-laden curtain of fog between myself and my subjects.<\/p>\n

I’ve shared some of the Great Blue Heron photos I took on that cold, foggy morning<\/span><\/a> before, but I’d never shared this Ring-billed Gull.<\/p>\n

This Ring-billed Gull was harder to photograph in the fog than the herons.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The herons flew in slowly; but this gull? It didn’t fly in slowly at all. Tracking the gull’s movements in the gloomy gray fog was not easy, but somehow my camera and I were able to lock on to the gull in flight for just two frames.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Now, there are probably some folks who wonder why I even bothered to photograph birds in such heavy fog. They might argue that the light isn’t beautiful, that not many details of the gull’s plumage can be seen, and that images like this one might not ever grace the pages of a book or the cover of a magazine.<\/p>\n

I took the foggy photos because I can, and I like these kind of images. I find them visually appealing.<\/p>\n

As for an image like this one gracing the pages of a book or the cover of a magazine? You just never know.<\/p>\n

Life is good, even when it is foggy.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Ring-billed Gull photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once upon a time, in a marsh not so far away, I photographed a Ring-billed Gull flying in heavy fog. It was the densest fog I have ever photographed in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,27,1148,410,26],"tags":[4004,4052,4122,4175,3984,3539,521,4264,156,4094,4246,4468,4095,373],"class_list":["post-120113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-ring-billed-gulls","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-fog","tag-foggy","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-delawarensis","tag-low-light-2","tag-marsh","tag-nonbreeding-plumage","tag-ring-billed-gull","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/ring-billed-gull-heavy-fog-flight-mia-mcpherson-5941.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-vfj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48366,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/09\/06\/franklins-and-ring-billed-gulls-flying-in-smoky-skies\/","url_meta":{"origin":120113,"position":0},"title":"Franklin’s and Ring-billed Gulls Flying in Smoky Skies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I did take some nice Franklin's and Ring-billed Gull photos in flight over the water of the marshes at the refuge despite the smoky sky.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Franklin's Gull flying in a smoky sky","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/franklins-gull-smokey-sky-mia-mcpherson-0860.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/franklins-gull-smokey-sky-mia-mcpherson-0860.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/franklins-gull-smokey-sky-mia-mcpherson-0860.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/franklins-gull-smokey-sky-mia-mcpherson-0860.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34695,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/01\/03\/ring-billed-gull-in-flight-at-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":120113,"position":1},"title":"Ring-billed Gull in Flight at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this Ring-billed Gull in flight at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on New Year's Day on the west side of the auto tour loop.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flying Ring-billed Gull and snow covered mountains in the background. 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2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It will take several molts before this immature Ring-billed Gull looks like an adult but by now, a year after it was photographed, this juvenile should look more like the adult.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Ring-billed Gull in flight on a January morning, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-winter-mia-mcpherson-6821.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-winter-mia-mcpherson-6821.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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