{"id":99085,"date":"2022-01-19T05:37:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T12:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=99085"},"modified":"2022-01-28T02:47:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T09:47:56","slug":"three-california-gulls-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/01\/19\/three-california-gulls-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Three California Gull Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull going into breeding plumage \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

While taking a short break yesterday morning I went down to my local pond for a few minutes and took a few California Gull photos while I was there. I noticed right away that some of the California Gulls are starting to go into breeding plumage. Their heads are getting whiter, their bills are getting brighter, and their gapes and orbital rings are more intensely colored than they were just last month. The adult California Gull on the right in this image is well on its way to being in breeding or as it is also known, Definitive Alternate Plumage.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull resting on grasses \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The California Gull in this photo isn’t showing as many signs of going into breeding plumage as the adult in the image above taken yesterday. This gull’s bill isn’t nearly as yellow and its head isn’t as white. The gull still caught my eyes because of the brightness of its gape and orbital ring.<\/p>\n

Not long after I took this photo some unattended and very young children came along and scared all of the birds out onto the water and into the sky. I would have liked to have looked more closely at the rest of the gulls that had been resting on the grasses but that was not to be.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull portrait in breeding plumage \u2013 Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 200mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This last image which was taken in April of 2012 on Antelope Island<\/span><\/a> shows an adult California Gull in full breeding plumage up close. I think this gull is as strikingly beautiful as any other bird I have seen locally or around the globe. I am a gull lover though and not everyone appreciates them like I do.<\/p>\n

Seeing the California Gulls starting to go into breeding plumage is one of the many small signs I notice that indicate that spring is around the corner. I am looking forward to welcoming warmer days and birds on the wing.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

While taking a short break yesterday morning I went down to my local pond for a few minutes and took a few California Gull photos while I was there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[511,27,520,1022,709,26],"tags":[4004,4053,4333,4142,5606,11978,2475,6375,3747,4109,3539,521,4230,12715,5026,4046,2208,4156,8018,4307,373],"class_list":["post-99085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-california-gulls","category-davis-county-utah","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-california-gull","tag-close-up","tag-definitive-alternate-plumage","tag-desert-island","tag-erodium-cicutarium","tag-gape","tag-grass","tag-grasses","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-californicus","tag-near-breeding-plumage","tag-orbital-ring","tag-portrait","tag-redstem-filaree","tag-resting","tag-urban","tag-wildflowers","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-pM9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":107838,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/11\/08\/winter-california-and-herring-gull-comparison-in-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":99085,"position":0},"title":"Winter California And American Herring Gull Comparison In Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I frequently get asked which is which I thought this would be a good time to do a winter California and American Herring Gull comparison and ID feature post.","rel":"","context":"In "American Herring Gulls"","block_context":{"text":"American Herring 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, 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Gull","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the past week I have seen California Gulls in breeding plumage flying to Egg Island in the Great Salt Lake with nesting material in their bills while on the north end of Antelope Island State Park.","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":"Portrait of a California Gull, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-filaree-mia-mcpherson-3366.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-filaree-mia-mcpherson-3366.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Gulls","author":"Mia 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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2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":119650,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/13\/california-gull-a-misnamed-gull-species\/","url_meta":{"origin":99085,"position":5},"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 Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Portrait of a California Gull calling in spring, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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