Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Ring-billed Gull


This Ring-billed gull (larus delawarensis) was photographed at Assateague Island National Seashore October 24, 2009. They are very common and even occasionally seen in my home state of West Virginia. For me they are the easiest of gulls to identify because in their adult stage (three years old) the ring around the bill is clear and distinct. They also have yellow eyes with red on the outer rim. However, when they are immature I must admit that they are easily confused with other gulls. While we were eating lunch a couple of them circled around over head looking to for a bite to eat. In a way they are the garbage collectors for the beach and offer a good service. Like Humming Birds they return to the same breeding and wintering sites each year. Even though they are common I enjoy seeing them fly overhead and wade along the shore.


See more at Watery Wednesday.



6 comments:

Sunny said...

A very pleasant picture.
I really enjoyed watching the gulls when I lived by the ocean. Over the years many of them moved inland to McDonald's and Burger King where they made a total mess of the trash bins!

JO said...

nice photo!

Check out my entry.

Carletta's Captures said...

Nothing like the sound of gulls along the shore. :)
This is a lovely shot!

Gaelyn said...

What would the seashore be without Gulls. They do have an important job on the beach, cleaning up after some humans.

Gwendolyn L said...

I like to watch the birds on the shore. They are always busy and seem happy. Thanks for sharing.

Pat said...

Aaahhh. Assateague Island - My most favorite place in the whole world! I used to live in VA and would vacation on Chincoteague Island. Even when I moved back to IL we traveled to the island.

I like the reflection of the gull in the water, and how I can see the water's edge.