A seagull, is a seagull is a seagull is a shorebird. Often raucous and bothersome to people, they are a welcome friend in flocks of other shorebirds, and are native gleaner-cleaners along the surf of the Long Beach Peninsula.
Laurus occidentalis
Determined not to just call them generic gulls, I took many shots of those I encountered, and then studied bird guidebooks to identify the specific species. What a journey in circles I entered! In the photo above there are four gulls that look similar, one that is smaller, and the two on the log have different feather colors and beaks. All are Western Seafulls.
Little did I know when I started this quest that, much like Bald Eagles, Western Seagulls transition to adult plumage (and beaks) over four years. The three above are all immature. They have the characteristic pink legs, large black beaks and mottled feathers with dark tails.
This bird is close to adulthood. Its black beak is gradually turning to the yellow-orange it will be when it matures.
A mature Western Seagull sporting its bright yellow-orange beak with a teardrop of red on the underside of the bill, dark eyes and pink legs. Its breast feathers are now almost pure white.
An adult pair of Western Seagulls, one with damage to its bill. “Seagulls live long lives, up to 30-40 years, and mate for life, but will rapidly re-mate if original mate is lost.” (Birds of the Puget Sound Region, Paulson et al.)
Closer and closer is Patti Moed’s challenge this week. Hope you enjoyed this birds-eye view of a common, yet unheralded member of our avian community.
Wherever your camera takes you, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Yippee! Tina offers us a chance to look through the archives at all those snaps taken along the way, that never quite made the cut for a post, and now have a chance to be seen.
Odell Lake, Oregon
How many mossy stumps have I photographed over the years?! There’s just something about the textures of bark, shrubbery and velvety moss that attracts me every time. So, today I open with a beauty taken near Princess Creek Campground in the Deschutes National Forest.
Lavender Lady Gardens
Cee Neuner got me started looking for and snapping photos of unusual signs along the pathways I wander. This one cracked me up, from the Lavender Lady’s Gardens near Ilwaco, WA.
Oxeye Daisy
Juxtaposing nature-made with man-made forms is another of my particular fetishes. These pretty little Oxeye Daisies reaching to the sun next to a hogwire fence is a prime example!
Priest Lake, ID
My family has a long history with Priest Lake, from when I was in high school, to the present. Before retiring and moving to Corvallis, OR, my parents had a vacation cabin at Priest Lake, which they sold when they moved. Though I visit the area rarely now, my niece and her family take summer vacation there yearly. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by woods coming right down to the shoreline. This bumper sticker shows the shape of Priest Lake from an aerial viewpoint.
leucistic Dark-eyed Junco
For two winters I have seen this bird and added it to my weekly Project FeederWatch count as a Snow Bunting. Although Vancouver is way out of its range, that was the only bird I could find in my field guides of this size and so white. This past February, I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count and included this bird in my count. Subsequently I was contacted by a volunteer from Cornell, who informed me it actually is an albino Junco. I’m always learning, and love it!
Max & Daisy snooze cruising.
We are out at our condo in Long Beach, WA this week and next. Max and Daisy are adjusting well, and love my big purple barrel chair as much as I do!
Over the years I have featured many of my favorite places, almost always in nature and close to a body of water. For this challenge from Karina of Murtaghs Meadow, I thought I would get interior and feature the inside of our condo at Long Beach, in particular “my” big purple barrel chair.
In this corner I set up my laptop computer, a small music system, and settle in to read, write, and create my WordPress posts, all while being able to look out upon the beauty of the grounds, the marshes/meadows and on to the ocean.
And when my daytime activities of walks to the beach, exploring the peninsula and taking care of my responsibilities are finished, I lean back with a glass of lovely wine and watch nightfall.
Thanks to Karina for guest hosting this week, and a special shout out of thanks to Anne Sandler for her Water challenge last week. I was so undone by the news, I could barely get my thoughts and photos posted, and forgot to acknowledge her at the time. I’m still reeling from the war Russia has brought on the world, though maybe a bit more composed this week. Praying for the people of Ukraine.
🐾 Wherever your special place is, please honor our earth, continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾
Fog is one of my favorite special effects with photography. Just about any time of year, fog and mist are common along the Long Beach Peninsula. I featured the first photo below for a Wordless Wednesday post last month. It is so quiet, it’s worth repeating! The Brown Pelicans in fog and a branch with dancing grace are also repeats that bear being seen again.
Mallards in the Fog
Clouds are another of my favorite natural light filters. All three of the photos below were taken on different days in various seasons as the sun was lowering into the west on the Long Beach Peninsula, WA. Clouds diffuse the light and add dramatic impact when the sun breaks through as in the lower left photograph.
sunset
A classic, “not a cloud in the sky,” sunset with the end of day sky reflecting on the marshes at the Breakers, Long Beach, WA.
Sunset in a Vase & Hummingbird Sunset
Sunrise also provides lovely filtered light. Though I’m usually not outside with my camera when the sun comes up, every once in a while I experience that magic! Below, Lake Tahoe Basin, Dollar Point, CA.
Thanks to Sophia Alves of Photographias, for hosting this week’s LAPC. To see her work and that of others answering this challenge (and/or to participate yourself!) check out her blog by clicking the link below.
🐾Whether in low light or bright light, please honor our earth, continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾
Walking With Eagles is a collection of original poems and photographs by Lindy Low Le Coq. A lifelong naturalist, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, Lindy’s verse, composition and photographs open a window into the essence of her subjects. Her poems and photography reflect the rich natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Bald Eagles mature over the course of five years. Walking With Eagles invites the reader to take a poetic and visual tour of this odyssey.
view ~ Walking With Eagles ~ in top menu bar for a preview, though the folio is much nicer!
Lindy Low LeCoq 