{"id":50288,"date":"2017-12-26T05:04:23","date_gmt":"2017-12-26T12:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=50288"},"modified":"2025-08-20T04:39:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T09:39:57","slug":"ring-billed-gull-great-blue-heron-a-stormy-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/12\/26\/ring-billed-gull-great-blue-heron-a-stormy-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"Ring-billed Gull, Great Blue Heron & a Stormy Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ring-billedRing-billed Gull in flight in front of a stormy sky – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas morning was kind of a bust for me photographically at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge primarily because of fog, poor light and low hanging clouds. There was some interesting action when a coot had a fish and other coots, a Gadwall and a Canvasback duck chased it.<\/p>\n

That coot ended up losing the fish to the canvasback who ended up swallowing the small fish. It was peaceful though out on the auto tour route, the ground was covered in snow, I saw very few people and I needed the refuge that I always find there.<\/p>\n

I really wanted some nice bird photos to remember Christmas Day 2017 and I found them but just a few blocks away from home at the local pond.<\/p>\n

Most of the clouds had cleared by late afternoon but there were some dark stormy looking clouds that still hung around and I’m glad they did because they created a dramatic backdrop for the birds that flew in front of them in the golden afternoon light.<\/p>\n

It didn’t matter to me what species of birds flew in front of those clouds as long as some of them did. I have a fondness for gulls so when this Ring-billed Gull flew in front of the stormy sky I was happy.<\/p>\n

\"GreatGreat Blue Heron in flight in front of a stormy sky – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

A little bit later I was happy again when a Great Blue Heron flew past the stormy clouds too, it almost seemed to glow against the much darker sky.<\/p>\n

Not too long after this photo was taken a cloud started to block the sun and the golden evening light and it was time to head home.<\/p>\n

A Ring-billed Gull, a Great Blue Heron and a stormy sky were all a wonderful Christmas gift.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos in their galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I really wanted some nice bird photos to remember Christmas Day 2017 and I found them but just a few blocks away from home at the local pond. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,166,410,709,26],"tags":[4117,4101,4052,4122,3987,3539,521,627,626,4264,4468,4018,4500,4197,313],"class_list":["post-50288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-great-blue-herons","category-ring-billed-gulls","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-ardea-herodias","tag-clouds","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-great-blue-heron","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-larus-delawarensis","tag-ring-billed-gull","tag-sky","tag-storm","tag-stormy-sky","tag-wading-birds"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t