{"id":48749,"date":"2017-10-03T05:02:35","date_gmt":"2017-10-03T11:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=48749"},"modified":"2025-08-05T16:47:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T21:47:07","slug":"winter-ring-billed-gull-adult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/10\/03\/winter-ring-billed-gull-adult\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Ring-billed Gull Adult"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WinterWinter Ring-billed Gull – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 1000, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I enjoy photographing birds on a background of snow in bright or low light because the birds stand out well against the whiteness of the snow. The whiteness of the snow enhances the focus of the viewer on the subject.<\/p>\n

This past January I spent a lot of time photographing birds at a pond close to home, I photographed ducks, cormorants, geese, coots and gulls quite often even when the snow was falling heavily.<\/p>\n

The birds are used to having humans in close proximity and are less skittish than they might be elsewhere so they make great subjects to observe and photograph closer than I might be able to photograph them anywhere else.<\/p>\n

Using a vehicle as a mobile blind works great there and it keeps me warmer than I would have been standing outside in the snow.<\/p>\n

I photographed this adult Ring-billed Gull last winter at my local pond and loved the snow in the frame, the muted colors of the gull’s plumage and the pops of color in the eye and bill of the gull.<\/p>\n

The snow was falling softly at the time I photographed the gull and the light was low due to a thick cloud cover overhead.<\/p>\n

This Ring-billed photo might not be every one’s cup of tea but I enjoy looking at it and remembering the snow falling on my hands as I clicked the shutter button and how the snow seemed to muffle the sounds of the city.<\/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":"

I photographed this adult Ring-billed Gull last winter at my local pond and loved the snow in the frame, the muted colors of the gull’s plumage and the pops of color in the eye and bill of the gull.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151628,"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":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,410,709,26],"tags":[4004,3539,521,4264,4246,4156,4468,4050,4509,4899,4328,8018,16369,373],"class_list":["post-48749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-ring-billed-gulls","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-delawarensis","tag-nonbreeding-plumage","tag-resting","tag-ring-billed-gull","tag-snow","tag-snow-storm","tag-snowstorm","tag-snowy","tag-urban","tag-willow-pond-park","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-snow-mia-mcpherson-6602.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-cGh","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":122561,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/03\/04\/ring-billed-gull-and-a-heart-shaped-snowflake\/","url_meta":{"origin":48749,"position":0},"title":"Ring-billed Gull And A Heart Shaped Snowflake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been six years since I took this photo of a Ring-billed Gull and a heart shaped snowflake in the middle of a winter snowstorm at my local pond.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull and a heart shaped snowflake, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-heart-snowflake-mia-mcpherson-5666.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-heart-snowflake-mia-mcpherson-5666.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-heart-snowflake-mia-mcpherson-5666.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-heart-snowflake-mia-mcpherson-5666.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62268,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/12\/31\/winter-ring-billed-gull-in-a-whiteout\/","url_meta":{"origin":48749,"position":1},"title":"Winter Ring-billed Gull In A Whiteout","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The light was low, big flakes of snow were falling and the ice was covered in fluffy snow so that allowed me to take photos of a few birds that looked like they were posed on a blank, white canvas.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull in a winter whiteout, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-snow-high-key-mia-mcpherson-8469.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-snow-high-key-mia-mcpherson-8469.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-snow-high-key-mia-mcpherson-8469.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-snow-high-key-mia-mcpherson-8469.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98493,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/27\/ring-billed-gull-photos-in-winter-whiteout-conditions\/","url_meta":{"origin":48749,"position":2},"title":"Ring-billed Gull Photos In Winter Whiteout Conditions","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In December of 2019 I took quite a few Ring-billed Gull photos in whiteout conditions down at my local pond and loved the challenge that taking them presented.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gulls on a snowy December morning, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ring-billed-gulls-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-8479.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ring-billed-gulls-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-8479.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ring-billed-gulls-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-8479.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ring-billed-gulls-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-8479.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49939,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/12\/17\/ring-billed-gulls-flying-in-a-december-snow-storm\/","url_meta":{"origin":48749,"position":3},"title":"Ring-billed Gulls Flying in a December Snow Storm","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The light wasn't great when I photographed these Ring-billed Gulls flying in a December snow storm but I had a great time with the gulls and the rest of the birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Ring-billed Gull flying in a snow storm, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-snow-mia-mcpherson-5867.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-snow-mia-mcpherson-5867.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-snow-mia-mcpherson-5867.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-snow-mia-mcpherson-5867.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":108406,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/12\/01\/urban-ring-billed-gull-adult\/","url_meta":{"origin":48749,"position":4},"title":"Urban Ring-billed Gull Adult","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I wrote that a mini-bike scared the birds at my local pond two days ago. This urban Ring-billed Gull didn't fly off. It stood its ground.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Urban Ring-billed Gull, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ring-billed-gull-on-fishing-dock-mia-mcpherson-5230.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ring-billed-gull-on-fishing-dock-mia-mcpherson-5230.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ring-billed-gull-on-fishing-dock-mia-mcpherson-5230.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ring-billed-gull-on-fishing-dock-mia-mcpherson-5230.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":76226,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/12\/17\/serious-looking-ring-billed-gull-on-the-wing\/","url_meta":{"origin":48749,"position":5},"title":"Serious Looking Ring-billed Gull On The Wing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I love photographing gulls. Whether they are feeding, resting, preening, fighting, calling, or in flight gulls are one of my favorite bird species to have in my viewfinder.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Serious looking Ring-billed Gull in flight, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-fluffy-clouds-mia-mcpherson-6946.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-fluffy-clouds-mia-mcpherson-6946.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-fluffy-clouds-mia-mcpherson-6946.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-fluffy-clouds-mia-mcpherson-6946.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}