{"id":98493,"date":"2021-12-27T06:06:38","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T13:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=98493"},"modified":"2021-12-27T06:06:38","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T13:06:38","slug":"ring-billed-gull-photos-in-winter-whiteout-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/27\/ring-billed-gull-photos-in-winter-whiteout-conditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Ring-billed Gull Photos In Winter Whiteout Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ring-billedRing-billed Gull on a snowy December morning \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 640, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday morning I drove to my local grocery store in whiteout conditions. The storm was brief, windy, and white but it reminded me of how much I love photographing birds in whiteout conditions. Last year we didn’t have many whiteout days during what was supposed to be winter. The fact is that it snowed very little down in the Salt Lake Valley last winter. So far this winter I have already scraped more snow off of my Jeep than I did the winter of 2020\/2021 but I haven’t yet photographed birds in whiteouts.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Ring-billedRing-billed Gulls in winter whiteout conditions \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

It wouldn’t have mattered to me if the Ring-billed Gulls had been California Gulls, coots, ducks, starlings, grackles, or any other bird species. I simply appreciate how taking photos of birds in conditions that challenge me, test my skills, and make me more selective about my settings.<\/p>\n

The fact that I was photographing birds with a lot of white plumage tested my skills even further because I didn’t want the white plumage of the Ring-billed Gulls to blend completely into the snow. I remember how challenging it was in my high school art class when my art teacher had us draw a white egg on a white tablecloth with pencils on paper. That was challenging too.<\/p>\n

\"Ring-billedRing-billed Gulls on a snowy December morning \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m hoping that I have more opportunities to photograph Ring-billed Gulls and other birds in whiteout conditions this winter. Time will tell. It is supposed to snow this afternoon according to the weather forecast but will it? Again, time will tell.<\/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":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[4004,3539,521,1123,4264,1984,4468,4050,8284,4328,8018,4813,5626,373],"class_list":["post-98493","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-high-key-2","tag-larus-delawarensis","tag-pond","tag-ring-billed-gull","tag-snow","tag-snowing","tag-snowy","tag-urban","tag-whiteout","tag-whiteout-conditions","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ring-billed-gulls-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-8479.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-pCB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":72829,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/18\/high-key-ring-billed-gull-in-whiteout-conditions\/","url_meta":{"origin":98493,"position":0},"title":"High Key Ring-billed Gull In Whiteout Conditions","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I took this photo of a Ring-billed Gull walking through the snow in whiteout conditions on December 30, 2019 at a pond not far from where I live.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull walking in a snowy whiteout, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-walking-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-8460.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-walking-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-8460.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-walking-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-8460.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-walking-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-8460.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":98493,"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":62657,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/01\/15\/high-key-ring-billed-gull-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":98493,"position":2},"title":"High Key Ring-billed Gull Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The longer I looked at the high key photos I took of this Ring-billed Gull in the snow the more I have enjoyed viewing them.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"High key Ring-billed Gull eating snow on a snowy morning, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-high-key-snow-mia-mcpherson-1869.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-high-key-snow-mia-mcpherson-1869.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-high-key-snow-mia-mcpherson-1869.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-high-key-snow-mia-mcpherson-1869.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62602,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/01\/13\/winter-ring-billed-gulls-from-low-light-to-afternoon-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":98493,"position":3},"title":"Winter Ring-billed Gulls – From Low Light To Afternoon Light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I can't say that I prefer one of these Ring-billed Gull images over the other, the low light image is as appealing to me as the one I took in afternoon light. I enjoy them both.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Winter Ring-billed Gull eating snow, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-drinking-snow-mia-mcpherson-1871.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-drinking-snow-mia-mcpherson-1871.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-drinking-snow-mia-mcpherson-1871.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ring-billed-gull-drinking-snow-mia-mcpherson-1871.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63432,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/01\/27\/black-billed-magpie-portrait-in-whiteout-conditions\/","url_meta":{"origin":98493,"position":4},"title":"Black-billed Magpie Portrait In Whiteout Conditions","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I seem to be on a high key bird photo kick this month so I thought I would add one more of a Black-billed Magpie I photographed in a winter whiteout just a few days shy of four years ago.","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":"Black-billed Magpie portrait in a winter whiteout, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/black-billed-mapgie-portrait-white-out-mia-mcpherson-9821.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/black-billed-mapgie-portrait-white-out-mia-mcpherson-9821.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/black-billed-mapgie-portrait-white-out-mia-mcpherson-9821.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/black-billed-mapgie-portrait-white-out-mia-mcpherson-9821.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":118648,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/12\/01\/bring-on-the-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":98493,"position":5},"title":"Bring On The Snow!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Snow is supposed to start falling around 10 a.m. where I live in northern Utah. It might be the first significant snowfall of this winter down in the valley.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull on snow, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ring-billed-gull-whiteout-conditions-mia-mcpherson-1868.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ring-billed-gull-whiteout-conditions-mia-mcpherson-1868.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ring-billed-gull-whiteout-conditions-mia-mcpherson-1868.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ring-billed-gull-whiteout-conditions-mia-mcpherson-1868.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\/98493","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=98493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}