Saturday 27 October 2012

Silver Gull

Lots of people don't like seagulls. But I do. Yes, they're a bit raucous at times, and flock around as soon as you start on your sandwich or your fish and chips, but if you actually stop and look at them they're quite an attractive bird. It's important to find the beauty in the ordinary.

Their lines are beautiful in flight.

You can find sea gulls wherever you go.

Circular Quay, Sydney
Bar Beach, Newcastle

Melbourne

When you start looking at them a bit more closely, you start to notice things. They don't actually all look the same. 

The juveniles have paler legs and beaks


Calling them Silver Gulls helps too. Sounds a bit fancier, than sea gull. Choricocephalus novaehollandiae sounds even fancier of course.

You don't get to find really young ones all that often

But I did in Melbourne, by the Yarra

Saturday Snapshot, is a wonderful weekly meme from at home with books

22 comments:

Cipriano said...

You have made seagulls a gorgeous thing.
Seriously, such clear gorgeous shots! I love the second one. The clarity of the eye.
The thing just wants some food, ANY sort of food-item, but it so gorgeous in its gullish [gullable?[ simplicity.

Kaye said...

Not a fan of seagulls but you made them look pretty. If there is a sign saying Do not feed the seagulls, I wish people would pay attention to it and not just feed them anyway.

Tea said...

Your photos of seagulls are beautiful. I love seagulls too.

Paulita said...

The common seagulls we have over here don't have as much white on them as yours do. My favorite seagull story was the day we were at the beach and my son Spencer had his chess set. One of the seagulls swooped down and stole a pawn. You should have heard those gulls fighting over the chess piece. We never got it back. Here's Mine

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

What I love about them is that they are always associated with the sea in my mind, and I love the sea!

I love their sound, too.

Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

Anonymous said...

Since I just started birding, even just a Sea Gull is a welcome sighting. You probably have very different species from ours here in Alberta, Canada. Beautiful photos!

grammajudyb said...

I don't have a lot of experience with seagulls, but I do like to see them when we are in their environment. I always remember the seagulls portrayed in the movie "Finding Nemo", and smile.
"mine,mine,mine,mine" they say!

Book Savvy Babe said...

I always have fun watching sea gulls, but I've never looked at them quite the same since seeing finding nemo with the kids. Now I have a tendency to think "mine. mine. mine" oh well.. Book Savvy Babe

Barbara said...

I agree. Sea gulls get a bad name because people leave garbage around and the gulls are scavengers. I think they are interesting to watch, especially in flight. Here are mine: http://barbarathehealthynut.blogspot.com/2012/10/scarecrows-and-ghosties.html

Sim Carter said...

I like gulls even though they've stolen my lunch in the past, diving down and snatching a burger from my plate as I sat poolside eating lunch while my son swam. Another time I sat on an oceanside restaurant deck and no sooner had the waiter delivered my salad did a gull christen my plate. Good times:)
Still they are glorious as they soar are they not!

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) said...

Nice catch on the youngsters. I too rarely them.

As the winters have become warmer in Chicago, gulls have become a year round resident. Unfortunately their favorite places to hang out are fast-food parking lots!

bermudaonion said...

I don't get to the water often, so I always enjoy seeing sea gulls.

DCMetroreader said...

I didn't realize that seagulls were so ubiquitous.

Lisa said...

I love the sound of sea gulls -- it always makes me sigh and think of the ocean, even when I'm just in a big parking lot somewhere.

Ginx Craft said...

Great photos, especially that first one of the seagull in flight.

Martha Eskuchen said...

These are lovely shots and "silver gulls" does give them more elegance. :-) Made me think of Johnathan Livingstone Seagull.

Alyce said...

That in-flight photo is so pretty! I love taking photos of gulls too because they are so full of mischief.

Anonymous said...

Finding the beautiful in the ordinary--great message! You certainly found the beautiful in the silver gulls--I like that name!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

The first 2 look almost too perfect to be real. well done

Susan Lindquist said...

Terrific shots! Their eyes are so spooky looking with those ruby rings! My husband walked through as I was looking at the photos, though, and commented, " Gulls are nothing more than rats with wings." Hmmm ... nothing like a party pooper!

Swan Pond said...

Really nice post. I love the shot of the young birds and I share the love!

Brona said...

Lovely that you gave us all cause to look at a familias sight with new eyes.
The baby seagulls are actually rather cute.