gull – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

4 Years ago today when Hurricane Ike stirred things up at Fort De Soto

By Mia McPherson|September 12th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets, Ring-billed Gulls, Willets|Tags: bird photography, Black Skimmer, Egmont Key, egret, egrets, Egretta rufescens, Gulf of Mexico, gull, gulls, Hurricane Ike, Larus delawarensis, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, Reddish Egret, Ring-billed Gull, Rynchops niger, skimmer, Tringa semipalmata, wading birds, waves, Willet|

Four years ago today Hurricane Ike was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and the waves that it generated made a strong splash at Fort De Soto County Park.

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Bathing Laughing Gull in breeding plumage

By Mia McPherson|September 2nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, bath, bathing, breeding plumage, coast, coastal, eye contact, gull, gulls, lagoon, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, water, wings|

I photographed this adult Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) in breeding plumage while it bathed in the shallow waters of a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach a few years ago.

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Laughing Gull – Small in the Frame

By Mia McPherson|August 5th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Small in the frame|Tags: coast, coastal, crashing waves, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Gulf of Mexico, gull, gulls, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, nonbreeding plumage, Pinellas County, small in frame, tumultuous, wave, waves|

On the day that I photographed this Laughing Gull either Hurricane Ike or Gustav was out near the center of the Gulf of Mexico that was churning up the water

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Immature Franklin’s Gulls

By Mia McPherson|July 27th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Centennial Valley, Franklin's Gulls, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: Beaverhead County, bird photography, Franklin's Gull, gull, gulls, immature, juvenile, lake, Leucophaeus pipixcan, summer, valley, water, wetlands, young|

I like gulls, I know that gulls are not always a popular subject for many bird photographers and that they will often pass them by but to me they are as delightful, beautiful and fascinating as any other bird.

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Herring Gulls

By Mia McPherson|June 2nd, 2012|Categories: American Herring Gulls, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, American Herring Gull, beach, breeding plumage, coastal island, flight, flying, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, gull, gulls, immature, Larus smithsonianus, sand, sandbar, water, young|

Two Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) at different stages of life, one an adult in breeding plumage, the other an immature gull in flight.

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California Gull With Nesting Material

By Mia McPherson|May 12th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, California Gulls, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, breeding season, California Gull, desert island, Egg Island, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, hypersaline lake, Larus californicus, nesting material, perched, rock, spring|

It was the first time I have been able to photograph a California Gull with nesting material so I was quite pleased.

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Reddish Egret Being Shadowed by Laughing Gulls

By Mia McPherson|April 23rd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Reddish Egrets|Tags: chase, egret, egrets, Egretta rufescens, Gulf of Mexico, gull, gulls, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, Reddish Egret, waves|

There were two Reddish Egrets (Egretta rufescens) on the north beach of Fort De Soto that day and it was a blast to watch them race around catching the small fish.

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Springtime California Gull Portrait

By Mia McPherson|April 12th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, California Gulls, Davis County, Portraits, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, California Gull, close up, desert island, gull, gulls, head shot, Larus californicus, portrait, Redstem Filaree, spring, Utah State Bird, wildflowers|

Yesterday while I was out photographing Long-billed Curlews this California Gull (Larus californicus) flew in so close that all I could do was take portraits of the bird.

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California Gull on a Windy Day

By Mia McPherson|March 8th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, California Gulls, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, buffeted, California Gull, choppy waters, flight, flying, gale force, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, Larus californicus, nature, Utah State Bird, wind, windy, winter|

This California Gull in flight was being buffeted by the wind, I had trouble keeping my lens steady because of it too.

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Franklin’s Gulls ~ Feeding Frenzy

By Mia McPherson|March 5th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Franklin's Gulls, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, feeding, feeding frenzy, flight, flying, foraging, Franklin's Gull, gull, gulls, hovering, Leucophaeus pipixcan, spring, valley, wet meadow|

Last year while I was camping and photographing at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge I saw a feeding frenzy that involved Franklin's and California Gulls in the flooded grasses and Sagebrush flats near the Lower Lake.

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People, Birds And A Sea Star In A Sea Fog

By Mia McPherson|February 28th, 2012|Categories: American Herring Gulls, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Ring-billed Gulls, Sea Stars|Tags: American Herring Gull, beach, beach walkers, feeding, fog, fog bank, foggy, Gulf, gull, gulls, Larus delawarensis, Larus smithsonianus, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, low light, people, preening, resting, Ring-billed Gull, sand-crawled, sea fog, Sea Star, Sea Stars, starfish, sun, sunrise|

I'm glad I didn't turn around to head home when I saw the thick sea fog that morning, if I had I may have missed photographing some of these beautiful things.

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California Gulls feeding on the Brine Flies of the Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|August 31st, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brine Flies, California Gulls, Utah|Tags: adult, algal bloom, brine flies, brine fly, California Gull, chasing, Ephydra cinerea, Ephydra hians, feeding behavior, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, high salinity, Larus californicus, observing behavior, wildlife|

A few days ago I had the opportunity to take images of California Gulls feeding on brine flies along shoreline of the Great Salt Lake next to the causeway to Antelope Island

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California Gulls – The 1848 Heroes of Utah’s Pioneers

By Mia McPherson|April 26th, 2011|Categories: Birds, California Gulls, Utah|Tags: 1848, adult, breeding plumage, California Gull, close up, fabricated, fiction, grasshopper plague, gull, gulls, Larus californicus, Mormon Pioneers, portrait, Salt Lake Valley, spring, trivia, Utah State Bird|

Huge flocks of California Gulls allegedly descended onto the grasshoppers in the valley and made tasty meals of the insects thus preventing the total loss of the crops as the story is told.

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Reddish Egret, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls

By Mia McPherson|January 17th, 2011|Categories: Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets, Ring-billed Gulls|Tags: adult, bait fish, baitfish, beach, coast, coastal, egret, egrets, Egretta rufescens, feeding frenzy, fish, Gulf of Mexico, gull, gulls, Hurricane Ike, Larus delawarensis, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, Reddish Egret, Ring-billed Gull, water, waves|

There were quite a few Laughing Gulls on and near the shoreline, a few Ring-billed Gulls and two Reddish Egrets hunting on the beach that day.

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Laughing Gulls

By Mia McPherson|December 17th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County|Tags: beach, bird ID, breeding plumage, coast, coastal, gull, gulls, lagoon, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, nonbreeding plumage, portrait, sand, water|

Laughing Gulls are quite common on the east and Gulf coastlines of the US, during breeding season they are usually found near saltwater but in nonbreeding season they are known to wander widely.

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