BIRDS 127 – BLACK-HEADED GULL
February 28, 2020 20 Comments
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Adult Black-headed Gull beside the river in central Bristol, hoping for handouts from passersby. Its just moulting into breeding plumage, with its dark brown hood (not in fact black at all!) appearing. This is the smallest of our common gulls – decidedly smaller than the equally common Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls – and often with a more elegant, more tern-like flight. Its found by water here in the city centre but, a bold and agile scavenger, its quite capable of diving screaming into our back garden when we throw stale bread out onto the back lawn.
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window: recommended, if you’re into birds (like all civilised people should be 🙂 … )
Technique: X-T2 with 55-200 Fujinon lens at 300mm (equiv); 3200 ISO; Lightroom, starting at the Camera ASTIA/Soft profile; central Bristol; 2 Feb 2018.
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About Adrian Lewis
Back in NY we had Laughing gulls – black-headed beauties with a great, laughing voice. Here we have Mew gulls – not as striking but smaller and more graceful than the typical denizens. One enjoys that after looking at so many Herring gulls and their ilk. Nice photos, Adrian!
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Laughing Gulls are a rarity here. But I think the Mew Gull, Larus canus, is the same as our Common Gull. Glad you like the shot – thank you! 🙂
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Oh, this really needs to be clicked on twice! What a superb photo. I’m not sure I’ve seen one of these – or if I have, I wouldn’t have known its name even though it is what is looks like 🙂 🙂
I hope you’ve been able to get out with your bad leg in order to bring the beers in. I bought extra today just in case there’s a panic in the shops due to the virus 🙂
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Thank you, my friend, thank you >>> but you have most certainly seen one of these, its a common bird >>> thing is, its most often seen without its hood, just a small dark smudge behind the eye >> but the constant thing … well for me its Duvel … but for this gull its a white blaze right along the forewing, seen in flight – google it!
I can just about get out for beers >>> but the pitfall re laying in stocks re the virus is that there’s always the temptation to enjoy them PRE the virus!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I just read that there was a case in Bristol. Barricade yourself in, man the ships, don’t panic, don’t panic 🙂 🙂
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Don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring!!! Where did you read about this? 🙂
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Hi, Adrian. I can’t remember where I read it. It might have been the Guardian online – I’m not sure now.
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Not to worry >>> I believe in any case that there is a case in Bristol now!
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Very underrated the BHG. Lovely portrait.
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Thank you, Andrew. Yes, underrated – as I think many of the commoner birds are by birdwatchers, who are intent on rarity and making lists. I used to work as a bird and wildlife safari leader in Kenya and birders would arrive from the States and elsewhere and be bowled over by the colours of, for example, the Superb Starling, which could be found in central Nairobi. But soon after their safari started, they would either be ignoring this starling in favour of finding as yet unseen birds or, as some of them admitted, consciously “screening it out” in that pursuit. Such is Life! A 🙂
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Attractive bird, fine shot!
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Very glad you like it, my friend – thank you! 🙂
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We have lots of gulls around the Lake and Bay area but I’ve never been able to get a shot as nice as this. Nice work, A.
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Ken, thank you very much! A 🙂
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these gulls are beautiful and slightly different than the ones we have here!
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Yes, beautiful they are – thank you, Cybele! 🙂
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Beautiful portrait.
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Thank you. I was a very enthusiastic birder, 1967-2002, and this species is one of the first birds I identified. 🙂
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Nice one, a classic again.
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Paula, thank you very much! 🙂
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