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gull


gull
Photo Information
Copyright: jeanpaul Bolduc (jeanpaul) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2046 W: 99 N: 3277] (13851)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-08-15
Categories: Birds
Exposure: f/9.5, 1/750 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-02-10 21:30
Viewed: 582
Points: 54
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
Ring-billed Gull

This bird
will nest on almost any ground surface as long as there is water and food nearby
is a capable parent, hatching more than 80 percent of the eggs laid
is undergoing a continent-wide population explosion that has created a variety of management problems
has a variable diet that might include smelt, earthworms, insects, mice, road kill, young birds, and contributions from children’s school lunch bags






Description Back to top

The adult Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis is a medium-sized gull, measuring 45 cm from bill to tail, having a 50-cm wingspan and weighing about 0.7 kg. Its white head, neck, underside and tail contrast with its grey wings (or back when the bird is at rest). The wing-tips are black with white spots and the legs and feet are yellow-green. A black ring encircles its yellow bill near the tip.

In appearance the adult Ring-billed Gull is similar to the Herring Gull, but the Herring Gull is bigger and has flesh-coloured legs and feet and a red dot on the lower part of the bill rather than a black ring.

Young Ring-billed Gulls are a mottled brown, much different in colouring from the adults. With each successive moult, or shedding of old feathers, they lose more of the brown and develop more of the white, grey, and black patterning. They attain full adult plumage when they are three years old.


Signs and sounds

The Ring-billed Gull’s notes are higher pitched than those of the Herring Gull. Vocalizations are a loud hiyak . . . hiyah . . . hiyah-hiyak or yuk-yuk-yuk-yuk-yuckle-yuckle. It also makes mewing squeals. Its anxiety note is gah-gah-gah.



Habitat and habits Back to top

The Ring-billed Gull is probably the most numerous gull in North America and perhaps more abundant today than ever before. An amazingly adaptable and opportunistic bird, it is equally at home nesting on natural islands or on human-made breakwaters, piers, and waste grounds. The Ring-billed Gull will nest on sand, soil, concrete, slag, boulders, driftwood, or rubble—as long as there is water and food nearby.

Like most other gulls and terns, Ring-billed Gulls nest in colonies. They are social birds requiring only a small territory, and their colonies usually contain hundreds or, more often, thousands of pairs. The minimum size of long-established gulleries is 500 to 1 000 pairs. The maximum size varies geographically: in the west, the largest colonies are 8 000 to 10 000 pairs and in the east, they are more than double that at 20 000 to 30 000 pairs. The largest colony is undoubtedly Little Galloo Island in the United States portion of Lake Ontario, with numbers estimated as high as 82 000 pairs. Newly founded colonies often contain up to 50 pairs and either grow rapidly or fail to become established.
smirnese, loot, Adanac, ramthakur, stevkds, pvb, jcoowanitwong, star74, BEHRAD, scottevers7, saeedabbasi, RAP, SkyF, cedryk, RII, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi JeanPaul,
Your gull is alive whereas mine is dead:(
By the way, a cute gull is captured with nice details. However it could have been sharper.
T.f.s.
Serhan

nice head shot jean nice sharp colors would have liked to have seen better eye contact ring bills always seem to have a softer feathers than other gulls this you can see in this photo

Hello JP,
Great portrait with high cutie factor!
The fluffy plumage is well exposed, and details are great in spite of the difficult white...
Well framed subject!
Greetings,
Pablo -

...

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1159 W: 255 N: 2639] (11925)
  • [2007-02-11 2:57]

Hi Jean paul,

A well captured composition of this gull with a good dof and nice colors,good exposed and good sharpness,well done and TFS

Paul

  •      
  • OzBY Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 182 W: 2 N: 310] (1069)
  • [2007-02-11 2:57]

Hi jeanpaul,

Great portrait of this gull
Great color, lightening and sharpness

Oz

  • Great 
  • loot Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5747 W: 606 N: 3503] (9405)
  • [2007-02-11 3:01]
  • [2]

Hi JeanPaul

Another lovely capture of the ring-billed gull. I like the POV with the direct eye contact and the great DOF provided excellent sharp details. The exposure was well controlled thus showing good contrasts on the white plumage of the bird and the cloudy BG actually compliments the bird very well.

Good work and TFS.
Regards
Loot

hi jean paul,
lovely capture,
nice point of view,
composed beautifully,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3464 W: 145 N: 5942] (17790)
  • [2007-02-11 3:35]

HI JP, your ring-billed gull shows up clearly why he is called ring-billed. And his eyes are the same colour too. Well captured, TFS
Janice

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1111 W: 1 N: 4518] (15128)
  • [2007-02-11 3:55]

Hello JeanPaul,
Wonderful detail in this closeup of the gull. It has great exposure which allows this detail in the white to come out.
Rick

Hi Jeanpaul, great portrait with wonderful details, very well done, have a nice sunday, ciao Silvio

Despite the light BG, this image of a Ring-billed Gull makes its presence felt in the shape of perfect exposure and the vital combination of yellow and black colors of the beak and the eye.
Thanks for sharing this lovely image.
Ram

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2102 W: 6 N: 2113] (13565)
  • [2007-02-11 5:22]

Hola Jeanpaul,
hermoso blanco y excelente la textura del plumaje, precioso retrato, buen trabajo amigo

Excellent portrait Jeanpaul.
Very pretty shot and very pure and sharp shot. Great colour and composition. tfs. Stev

  • Great 
  • pvb Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 381 W: 20 N: 522] (1815)
  • [2007-02-11 7:10]

Bonjour JeanPaul,
Very good portrait of the gull. Good composition and pov. Very nice soft colours.
TFS Paula

Hello JeanPaul,
This is fantastic. Sharp and crystal clear without overexposes on the white plumage. Great composition and very admiring picture. Great work and tfs.
JC

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2135 W: 224 N: 3948] (13111)
  • [2007-02-11 10:03]

Hi JeanPaul

This is a very beautiful portrait from you again, my friend!
The look in this gull's eye is terrific and the POV here is very good.
I also like the colors and the exposure as well as the sharpness of the details.
The composition is very good and i liked the note, too.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • star74 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 294 W: 5 N: 619] (2466)
  • [2007-02-11 11:20]

Hi Jeanpaul,
Very nice shot.
The colors and point of view are great.
Well done.

Hi Jeanpaul
Very nice portrait.
Perfect sharpness and composition.
I like it.
Rgerads

Behrad

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 302 W: 3 N: 622] (3128)
  • [2007-02-11 13:12]

Hello Jean Paul,
Whow what a great capture, the composition and sharpness are great.
TFS
Vivian

Hi JeanPaul,
Greta portrait shot on this Ring-billed Gull. Spot on exposure has the white plumage detail and color looking great.
A well composed and framed shot. Looks good!
Scott

Hi my dear friend jeanpaul,
nice and lovely shot.
well composed and great sharpness.
excellent details.
very well done.
thanks
Saeed

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2007-02-12 12:48]

No es un perfecto primer plano JP, pero es un muy buen primer plano.
Me gusta el punto de vista captado con la mirada del ave bien fijada, con buenos detalles y foco.
La intensidad de la luz y el fondo confunden ligeramente y producen algo de falta de agudeza pero la composición es realmente muy agradable.
Gracias y mis mejores saludos... Ricardo

It is not a perfect close up JP, but it is a very good close up.
I like the point of view captured with the look of the birdwell fixed, with good details and focus.
The intensity of the light and the bottom confuse lightly and they produce something lack of sharpness but the composition is really very pleasant.
Thank you and my best regards... Ricardo

  • Great 
  • cedryk Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 969 W: 57 N: 1662] (5072)
  • [2007-02-13 21:32]

Hello Jean-Paul,
Excellent winter portrait in cold colours.
Composition: good
Focus: nice but a bit soft, shallow DOF
Color: nice and gentle
Lighting: good side light
Best greetings and TFS!
Michal

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2007-02-14 5:36]

Salut JeanPaul,
wonderful frame filling composition. I like the crop and the framing. Details, colors and sharpness are wonderful.
Sky

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1005 W: 64 N: 1242] (5082)
  • [2007-02-20 9:15]

Wow! Excellent!
A gorgeous portrait of this beautiful gull!
I love it!
My compliments, Jean Paul
Thank you very much for sharing
Maite

  • Great 
  • RII Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 486 W: 0 N: 887] (2804)
  • [2007-03-03 18:49]

Hi, Jeanpaul,

Excellent portrait, magnifics tones and colors, very nice details and shrpness, in white is dificult , is a good capture.

Thanks....RICARDO.

Hello Jean Paul! Very fine portrait. Wonderful sharp and light.

Bonjour Jean-Paul,

Une belle image de cet oiseau marin, la photo a une bonne composition, netteté et de belles couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

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