{"id":8526,"date":"2013-06-05T03:40:59","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T09:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=8526"},"modified":"2025-06-22T14:47:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T19:47:15","slug":"bathing-beauty-er-california-gull","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/05\/bathing-beauty-er-california-gull\/","title":{"rendered":"Bathing Beauty… er… California Gull"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull bathing<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, I admit it. I think gulls are beautiful and this\u00a0California Gull\u00a0sure looked that way bathing! Look at those bright white feathers, the dark sparkling eyes rimmed in red, the darker contrasting gray feathers, the color and shape of the bill. What’s not to like about that?<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull lifting up<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, I know. Some folks think they are trash birds. I don’t. I think they have grace when they are in flight, on the beach or bathing like this one was.<\/p>\n

\"FlutteringFluttering California Gull<\/span><\/p>\n

I sort of agree their calls can be loud and harsh but they aren’t always calling. Yeah, they frequent dumps but I reckon we sort of gave them those dumps because there weren’t any for the eons that came before humans arrived in North America. Yeah, they scavenge but so do Bald and Golden Eagles and who hates them?<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull shaking the water off its wings<\/span><\/p>\n

I had fun photographing this California Gull, it was interesting to watch it bathe to see the various poses it took and the wing positions that I saw. This pose reminds me of the one Kate Winslet had when she portrayed Rose DeWitt Bukater on the bow of the Titanic. I’ve never seen the movie by the way but I am familiar with the iconic scene from the Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull – One final flutter<\/span><\/p>\n

But I digress… This was a puddle in a dirt road that the gull bathed in, it only existed because of the rains we’d had for a few days before I took this series of the gull bathing. It is bone dry now though.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaClifornia Gull goofy pose<\/span><\/p>\n

And who can resist goofy bird images? I can’t and this is a pretty goofy looking image. I didn’t know a gull’s head could twist that far.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull drinking water after a bath<\/span><\/p>\n

After the gull was done bathing it took a few drinks from the puddle before it flew away. Yes, it was a bathing beauty.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Okay, I admit it. I think gulls are beautiful and this California Gull sure looked that way bathing! Look at those bright white feathers, the dark sparkling eyes rimmed in red, the darker contrasting gray feathers, the color and shape of the bill. What’s not to like about that? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149168,"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":[511,27,520,26],"tags":[4004,5109,4373,4053,4333,11978,4464,6048,730,3539,521,4230,12631,5112,4502,3996],"class_list":["post-8526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-california-gulls","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-bath","tag-bathing","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-california-gull","tag-desert-island","tag-drinking","tag-flutter","tag-goofy","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-californicus","tag-lifting","tag-puddle","tag-shaking","tag-water"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-bathing-mia-mcpherson-7732.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-2dw","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":118823,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/12\/08\/california-gull-in-winter-plumage\/","url_meta":{"origin":8526,"position":0},"title":"California Gull In Winter Plumage","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was at my local pond three days ago, I was happy to photograph this California Gull in winter plumage that had just landed on the water.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult California Gull in winter plumage, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/california-gull-winter-plumage-mia-mpherson-8918.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/california-gull-winter-plumage-mia-mpherson-8918.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Gulls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gulls\/herring-gulls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Herring Gull - California Gull Comparison and ID Features, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/herring-california-gull-winter-adult-comparison-mia-mcpherson-0305.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/herring-california-gull-winter-adult-comparison-mia-mcpherson-0305.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/herring-california-gull-winter-adult-comparison-mia-mcpherson-0305.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\/2016\/05\/franklins-gull-feeding-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson-8201.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/franklins-gull-feeding-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson-8201.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/franklins-gull-feeding-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson-8201.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/franklins-gull-feeding-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson-8201.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22246,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/21\/california-gulls-on-a-clear-april-morning\/","url_meta":{"origin":8526,"position":3},"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":119650,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/13\/california-gull-a-misnamed-gull-species\/","url_meta":{"origin":8526,"position":4},"title":"California Gull – A Misnamed Gull Species","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"As I photographed a winter California Gull at my local pond two days ago, I thought about how these gulls are a misnamed species for the umpteenth time.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State 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