Herring Gulls at the Beach

This is basically a continuation of yesterday's post. While there was only one Great Black-backed Gull on the beach that day, there were many Herring Gulls to be found during the low tide hours.
Most of my shots of gulls and any bird for that matter are done with a telephoto lens so I can get a close enough shot without spooking the animal. During high tide, these rocks that the gull is perched on would be close to 100-120 feet (that is a guess) out into the water, completely submerged. During low tide, they are perfectly visible and provide a good perch to this Herring Gull who is more than content just sitting in the morning sun. One of my favorite shots because of the seaweed covered rocks and water in the background which, to me, seems to add some nice color and detail. This photo can be viewed on Alamy as well where it is available for multiple uses under a Rights Managed license. If interested, please visit its location on Alamy.

This Herring Gull was digging for clams right before this shot was taken. Many times when walking the shore during low tide, it is possible to be sprayed by the clams who have burrowed jsut underneath the surface of the sand. This guy had just finished eating one and was starting to call to others. Even though the wings were spread, he did not fly away. It almost seemed as if it was letting it be known that food was found. Just like the photo above, this one is also available at Alamy for multiple uses under a Rights Managed license. Click here to view this at Alamy.

I chose to display this photo just for the expression that the gull seems to be showing. Now, while birds do not frown or smile, is sure seems like this one is giving that clam some attitude. Right before this photo was taken, the gull dropped this clam from the sky in order to open it (with the attempt being successful) and is now looking at it with a face that is saying "you're screwed." While that is obviously not the case, I chose to display this to show that gulls are very opportunistic feeders. In this case, the clam shell was sitting there cracked open after the gull dropped it from the sky. It is certainly not going to pass up the meal. It would be the exact same thing if you or I were to throw a french fry or any other piece of food at the beach. The gulls are not going to ignore it. They are going to take that opportunity to eat. However, what I have observed is that if the gull is unable after multiple attempts to break open the clam shell, they will move onto another one or move to another area where feeding might be better.

This last photo shows the result of that nice meal that was pictured above. If you look very closely, you can see the gull swallowing the clam meat while its shell now sits on the rocks empty. I do find this photo the most comical of the series mainly because of the expression. It looks like it is actually telling me to "back off" or "my food, get away." In reality, the only thing that it is probably concerned with is finishing off its meal. While it is possible that it could be looking at me, I find it very unlikely that it thinks I am going to try to steal its meal.

Living near the coast does indeed have its advantages. It gives me access to a broad range of things to observe and photograph. While I do not claim to know the inner workings of a Herring Gull's mind (or any animal for that matter), I do hope you enjoyed this read and my photographs. Feel free to comment or send me an email.