{"id":29864,"date":"2015-10-14T05:42:47","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T11:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=29864"},"modified":"2025-08-05T12:33:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T17:33:30","slug":"the-ring-billed-gull-ballet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/10\/14\/the-ring-billed-gull-ballet\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ring-billed Gull Ballet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ring-billedRing-billed Gull Ballet – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 310mm, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I can’t ignore the grace or beauty of gulls and I don’t even try. I know people think they are trash birds and flying rats but for me it is as simple as they are birds and I love and I am fascinated by them all.<\/p>\n

In September 2008 when Hurricane Ike was heading towards Texas we felt its effects hundreds of miles away from its eye on the Gulf Coast of Florida.<\/p>\n

The wind was strong at Fort De Soto County Park<\/span><\/a> and the waves were high and that caused a bit of a feeding frenzy as the waves pushed small bait fish up to the shore.<\/p>\n

Reddish Egrets chased the bait fish all over with Laughing Gulls flying after them trying to swipe the fishing from the dancing wading birds.<\/p>\n

Among the bait fish skirmishes one solitary Ring-billed Gull stood out to me and as it flew after the Reddish Egret and Laughing Gulls I kept my lens trained on it.<\/p>\n

It seemed to dance in the wind especially as it landed or took off and it mesmerized me with its fluid movements, grace, and beauty.<\/p>\n

A Ring-billed Gull Ballet.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/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":"

Among the bait fish skirmishes one solitary Ring-billed Gull stood out to me and as it flew after the Reddish Egret and Laughing Gulls I kept my lens trained on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151542,"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":[27,25,704,2000,410],"tags":[4004,9075,5229,5132,4077,3539,521,4264,4468,4676,2315,3996,4119],"class_list":["post-29864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-ring-billed-gulls","tag-adult","tag-ballet","tag-coast","tag-coastal","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-delawarensis","tag-ring-billed-gull","tag-rough-seas","tag-summer-3","tag-water","tag-waves"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-landing-mia-mcpherson-0421.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-7LG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16979,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/11\/14\/ring-billed-gull-age-progression\/","url_meta":{"origin":29864,"position":0},"title":"Ring-billed Gull Age Progression","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In February of 2011 I wrote about the age progression of Bald Eagles along with images to illustrate the ages, today I am doing the same but with Ring-billed Gulls.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fluffy Ring-billed Gull after bathing, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-adult-mia-mcpherson-7685.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-adult-mia-mcpherson-7685.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull in flight over the calm Gulf, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-gulf-mexico-mia-mcpherson-1442.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-gulf-mexico-mia-mcpherson-1442.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-gulf-mexico-mia-mcpherson-1442.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-gulf-mexico-mia-mcpherson-1442.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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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, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ring-billed-gull-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7689.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ring-billed-gull-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7689.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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