HERRING GULL Larus smithsonianus
The Herring Gull needs no introduction. So I won’t give it one. Instead, here are some close-ups of one that obligingly stayed still long enough, and at close enough range, to enable me to focus. The final two are possibly worth single- or double-clicking on to see the finer details. I prefer cooperative birds like this…
HERRING GULL IN FAMILIAR ‘BOAT POSE’
Note the characteristic crossing of the black-and-white wing-tip feathers
HERRING GULL HEAD SHOTS
All images ©RH; audio clip from the wonderful Xeno-canto archives
ROLLING HARBOUR ABACO 
They look so elegant and graceful. Excellent shots! Looks like a wonderful life!!
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Thanks p4c. Yes, wonderful in flight and… *whispers so they don’t hear* a bit cumbersome on land! But great to have one pose so obligingly.
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An interesting footnote, Rick, thanks for that. Hollywood? ‘Starstruck’ is my diagnosis!
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That’s 5.2 miles of beach just south of Ft Lauderdale, RH.
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Got that, Rick. They went to the other one…
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These are beautiful – I love how characterful and wonky he looks in close-up. Gulls aren’t usually beautiful creatures to me, but you’ve captured the essence of it here!
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Why thank you! I know exactly what you mean about having ‘seagull glamour’ reservations… but when they are flying?
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RH, FYI….This species may be ‘sub-specied’ quite a bit. I’ve always known it as L.argentatus. The Britts accept ‘smthsonianus’ as a valid species while we Gringos believe it is a sub species of ‘argentatus’. Wipe away the sea foam, and me thinks the taxonomists get pretty myopically engrossed in this stuff! I’ve seen these taxonomy debates go round the buoy many times in the past.
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Hi Rick, thanks for calling in. I decided to skate over the whole taxonomic confusion: as you say, too many conflicting views. Oddly, having first put ‘smithsonianus I changed it to ‘argentatus’… then back again! When I’m back with my bird books I’m going to do a ‘head count’ and use the result. Anyway, whatever and wherever the variations are, it’s still simply a Herring Gull. RH
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I got to know quite a bit about the sea fowl in the early 90’s when I was a supervisor on Hollywood Beach Patrol. I alerted the local newspapers about a considerable die-off of Gannets,Cormorants, Mergenzers, and especially Loons.(google The Miami Herald, Broward section front pg,Feb 9, 1993). It went on at least until I retired in 1995. As far as I know it’s still a mystery, and I don’t know if it’s still ongoing.
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