{"id":24082,"date":"2015-05-19T06:29:51","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T12:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=24082"},"modified":"2025-06-22T16:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T21:22:40","slug":"a-california-gull-up-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/05\/19\/a-california-gull-up-close\/","title":{"rendered":"California Gull Up Close"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull up close in breeding plumage<\/span><\/p>\n

So yesterday I was finally able to get out and go photographing again after a week of not going and there were birds and and even some sunshine. For a while. It felt marvelous to have my hands on my gear again.<\/p>\n

I photographed a few different birds but my favorites of the day were of this California Gull that flew in while I was photographing a Long-billed Curlew.<\/p>\n

\"FluffedFluffed up California Gull in breeding plumage<\/span><\/p>\n

This gull kept moving closer and closer and it might have been looking for a hand out from me (not that I would ever feed a gull) so I turned my attention away from the curlew and focused solely on the gull. I think they are beautiful and always enjoy getting close up images of them and this gull moved so close all I could do was portraits of it.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull with its bill open<\/span><\/p>\n

Then it opened and closed its bill three times without making a sound and I thought it might spit up a pellet or some thing but it never did. Here the gull has its bill open and one can see how it has little barb like things on the roof of the bill for grasping what ever it is eating.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull open wide!<\/span><\/p>\n

This image show them even better. These gulls can open their bills pretty wide which is why they can swallow prey whole and we humans sit there scratching our heads wondering how they could swallow something so big.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull with its bill wide open<\/span><\/p>\n

But their bills don’t just open wide top to bottom they can also expand the opening side to side as this image shows. It also shows the long, narrow “tongue” which when it moves pushes the food down the bird’s throat. Pretty fascinating if you ask me.<\/p>\n

Yes, I know people call them “trash birds”, “garbage birds”, “flying rats” and much more. But with this bird’s plumage, bright red orbital ring and orange gape plus its multicolored bill all this California Gull would need to get some people excited about it is talons instead of webbed feet and more of a hook to its bill and people would go absolutely bat-sh*t crazy over them.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my California Gull photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

Techs for all these images: Nikon D810, f10, 1\/1600, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All this California Gull would need to get some people excited about it is talons instead of webbed feet and more of a hook to its bill and people would go absolutely bat-sh*t crazy over them. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,520,1022,26],"tags":[4004,4053,4333,4142,3981,11978,3539,521,4230,4046,4746,165],"class_list":["post-24082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-california-gulls","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-california-gull","tag-close-up","tag-davis-county","tag-desert-island","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-californicus","tag-portrait","tag-portraits","tag-spring"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-2634.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-6gq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22246,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/21\/california-gulls-on-a-clear-april-morning\/","url_meta":{"origin":24082,"position":0},"title":"California Gulls on a Clear April Morning","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Gulls and the Marbled Godwit came in close and I decided to do some portrait images of the gull.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"California Gull portrait on Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-adult-mia-mcpherson-9359.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-adult-mia-mcpherson-9359.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-adult-mia-mcpherson-9359.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-adult-mia-mcpherson-9359.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14597,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/03\/22\/a-california-gull-on-the-wing\/","url_meta":{"origin":24082,"position":1},"title":"California Gull On The Wing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Photographing this California Gull on the wing was a highlight of my morning the day I took this photo. I love to photograph gulls.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"California Gull on the wing, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-antelope-island-mia-mcpherson-8153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-antelope-island-mia-mcpherson-8153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-antelope-island-mia-mcpherson-8153.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31354,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/10\/30\/california-gull-portrait-in-falling-rain\/","url_meta":{"origin":24082,"position":3},"title":"California Gull portrait in falling rain","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this California Gull back in May on Antelope Island State Park in falling rain and like the streaks of rain in the frame.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"California Gull portrait in falling rain, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-rain-mia-mcpherson-4729.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-rain-mia-mcpherson-4729.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-rain-mia-mcpherson-4729.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-rain-mia-mcpherson-4729.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4775,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/04\/12\/springtime-california-gull-portrait\/","url_meta":{"origin":24082,"position":4},"title":"Springtime California Gull Portrait","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday while I was out photographing Long-billed Curlews this California Gull (Larus californicus) flew in so close that all I could do was take portraits of the bird.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State 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2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43356,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/12\/05\/comparing-adult-ring-billed-and-california-gulls\/","url_meta":{"origin":24082,"position":5},"title":"Comparing Adult Ring-billed and California Gulls","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For most of the year Ring-billed and California Gulls are some of the most common gulls here in northern Utah and for some people it might be challenging to tell them apart.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull taking an early morning stroll, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, 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