California Gull standing on thin ice – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/6400, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I went down to my local pond yesterday afternoon where the first bird I photographed was an adult California Gull standing on thin ice. It has been warmer than normal and the ice on the pond has started to break up. I saw several species of birds actually fall through the ice and then struggle to get back on top of it while I took images of them.
The ice on the pond looks dark because there were heavy, dark clouds hanging over the pond. Fortunately for me the gull was lit nicely because the sun was peeking through the clouds in the western sky. In clearer conditions the ice has a silvery sheen to it instead of a charcoal smoke color.
California Gull looking for a handout – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/8000, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
People do feed the gulls, geese, ducks and other birds at my local pond and I believe this California Gull had walked over the thin ice looking for a handout. There was another photographer on foot near the pond and the gull may have thought that he had food.
It was nice to have this California Gull walk in as close as it did so I could enjoy photographing it.
California Gull close up in profile – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/8000, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Towards the end of my time with this California Gull I had to turn my camera vertically so I could fit the whole gull into the frame.
I know my blog stats will drop today because I am writing about and sharing more gull images. When I shared photos recently of first winter Herring Gulls at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge views of my site dropped significantly compared to the views of other recent posts.
Eleven years ago I made a pledge to myself to always be authentic when writing about what I photograph on my site. To do that I share photos of all the bird species I see not just the ones I think might garner more views on my blog.
Life is good.
Mia
To view more of my California Gull photos plus facts and information about this species please click here.
I’m curious why the shutter speed was so fast for a standing gull.
Great question Gail. That afternoon clouds were scuttling overhead across the pond which meant the light was variable so I set my ISO to 800 to maintain a high enough shutter speed for the cloudy conditions and kept it there. That meant very high shutter speeds when the light was bright but I was okay with that.
I’m more than happy to see your posts of California Gulls!!! They are such beautiful birds. I’m fortunate to have been and to continue to be able to look at those beautiful faces up close and personal (and occasionally unfortunate to have an up-close-and-personal encounter with the results of the other end…).
Very type of bird has its own unique beauty. Thanks for showing them all!!
I like the photo with the dark ice behind the white gull, very sharp looking.
Nice portraits of the gulls. Sure are sharper than the Facebook thumbnail!
Coolphotos, Mia
Gulls can be beautiful and I have learned to appreciate them more, as they can have interesting behavior. I used to spend my winter in Bradenton FL until this one, we are staying home, so I saw lots of great gulls. Last winter a California gull turned up on Siesta Beach and I went four times to see it but missed each time, sometimes within 20 minutes of the alert being put out. It was difficult to locate among the hundreds of other gulls there, so it will still be a lifer for me when I see it. I love daily posts.
Hi! They are must clearer here! Great shooting honey! Have a great day!
Even if I am not a gull fan I still love to look at your photos. I think the only one I have bypassed is one where you were photographing a spider. I didn’t realize that California Gulls have such colourful beaks.