The high winds at the headland made it difficult to stand upright without hanging onto handrails, gale force gusts buffeted me and my camera and made my over-sized rain jacket flap demonically. And all the while the gulls flew. Sometimes they flew into the wind, sometimes they miraculously held their position for a few momenst until relaxing and being flung backwards like discarded paper.
Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 365mm
Despite their speed I managed to get some in flight shots that I like. I kept the aperature wide open for maximum shutter speed and put the ISO on automatic as the lighting changed constantly due to partial cloud cover.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 160mm
The horizon for this shot needed correcting as it was badly sloping due to the buffeting of the wind.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100, focal length 100mm
Every so often all the gulls that were resting on the headland would take to the air, swooping across the granite outcrop before heading out to sea.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 235mm
A Peregrine Falcon was scouting the area and every time it came close to the gulls it prompted a mass exodus.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100, focal length 160mm
In a couple of the images the gulls seem very metallic which suits their name perfectly.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 250mm
Adult Silver Gulls have bright orange/red bills, eye rings and legs. I wonder how much practise they need to become such remarkable flyers.
.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 260mm
I thought I should share at least one image, above, that gives an inkling of how noisy it was on the headland.
.
Silver Gull
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 235mm
I thought these gulls were brave to fly so close to each other in such unpredictable conditions, they looked like synchronised flyers instead of synchronised swimmers.
I often hear people call seagulls the ‘rats of the sky’ or ‘rats with wings’ but can’t agree. They are remarkable birds that are resourceful enough to cope with the damage that humans have done to their environment. They clean up after us too, scavenging around bins and at landfill sites. They are confident creatures and are fighting for their right to survive while more secretive species quietly sink towards extinction.
Happy birding, Kim
NB It is possible to receive a weekly email letting you know that lirralirra has been updated – just add your address to the ‘Subscribe to email’ box above right. Please let me know if you have added your name but are not receiving a weekly update.
I recently added a Facebook ‘like’ button. Thank you to all ‘likers’ – I like you too!
Really excellent photos. I hope to get to be as good a photographer as you one day. I don’t live very close to the sea but will make an effort to get to the seaside more often so I can practise photographing gulls.
Hi Gwen, thanks for your lovely comment. I wasn’t as good a photographer as myself a couple of years ago, and hopefully I’ll be a better one in a couple of years time! It’s a wonderful journey to be on, often hard work but very worth it to see our birdlife up close and beautiful. Good luck with your photography, Kim
[…] It was fascinating to glance up and watch this Silver Gull dabbling in the water to stir up prey. The gull’s bill and legs are so red that I checked to make sure I hadn’t accidentally tweaked the saturation. Eight images of gulls in flight can be seen at Gale force gulls. […]
Terrific captures. I particularly like the flight shots with the dark background. The combination of dark background, silver body, red legs, beak and eye ring produces some dramatic images.
Thank you David, it’s great to hear your thoughts on the images, I’m glad you like them.
Beautiful birds, amazing photos Kim.
Gerald loves the photos too.
Thank you Carole and Gerald 🙂
Hi Kim
Your photos certainly put these maligned birds in a different light. I particularly liked the 4th pic it suggested a fabulous subject for a quilt – very tactile and flowing. Thank you
Alison
What a great idea about a quilt! The thought has reminded me of Escher’s tessellations. I hope you make one and it hangs in a public building to be admired and remind people that gulls are remarkable birds.
Lovely gull photos. They are kind of regarded much like pigeons as rats aren’t they. These photos make one realize how beautiful they really are!
Oh yes, pigeons are much maligned too. I’m glad the photos show the gulls beauty, that makes me happy!
Kim, I love gulls and cringe a bit when I hear them called “rats of the sky” or “trash birds”. They are beautiful and your images show that off very well
“Trash birds” – what a horrible name! I’ve heard people use that for ibis, perhaps I should work on a post about ibis one day …
I love the gulls! The mass exodus is cool. Your flight shots are awesome, Kim! Happy Birding!
I’m always trying in-flight shots and it was fun to get some I liked – I’m glad you like them too.
I too love gulls. Though sea gull is a bit of a misnomer. We have gulls here that I am fairly certain have never, and will never, see the sea. They are wonderful survivors though.
And I am, as usual, in awe at your stunning photos. Thank you.
Do you call them ‘seagulls’ officially, colloquially or both? Thanks for your kind comments EC.
Hey Kim, some excellent shots. I especially like the bokeh on the second to last image.
Thanks Dale. I scrolled through the image to find the bokeh you liked, I think ‘circles of confusion’ is a perfect description for backgrounds like that. I appreciate your comments 🙂
Hello Kim,
Oh my god, she’s so cute !!!!
The color of the beak is explosive ! Another discovery.
The Silver Gull …. wow
Caution to the wind, do not fall into the water!
kisses
Explosive is a great word for the colours. I was happy to see the white, red and black together. I’m glad I didn’t fall in the water, especially from that height!
hi kim
it s a nice serie, the pictures of flying group are excelents, good ligth, nice background, and so many gulls in same time, it s impressive 😀
the color of beack and legs is intense, and it s helpfull for the identification of course ;))
thanks to you and happy birding of course =))
I’m glad you like the gulls Eric, they really were impressive, I’m glad you like them 🙂
~
~
Thanks Kim
I also think Silver Gulls are great birds. So adaptable.
I loved the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Mal
I agree about the gulls and the book, definitely a classic!