| Portraits of Australian Animals | Tilcheff | bloG |: Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus)

Showing posts with label Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus). Show all posts

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Gulls: final appearance

Most wildlife photography enthusiasts consider gulls too common to photograph. Not me...

above: juv. Pacific Gull, Tasmania

above: Crested Tern, Tasmania

above: Silver Gull, Tasmania

above: Pacific Gull, Tasmania

above: juv. Kelp Gull, Tasmania

above: Pacific Gull, Tasmania

above: Silver Gull, Tasmania

above: Pacific Gull, Tasmania

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Kelp and Pacific, young and grown up

Mick at Sandy Straits and Beyond wrote earlier today about spotting a Kelp Gull. As Kelp and Pacific Gulls are very rare visitors up North, but are quite common here, on Tasmania, I decided to do a comparative post with some images taken over the last year and a half and illustrating the differences between the two types of big gulls and also the different 'clothes' they wear during different stages of their lives. The pattern of this post is Kelp, Pacific, Kelp, Pacific...

Pacific Gulls are slightly bigger than Kelp. According to the Slater Field Guide Pacific are 63cm, while Kelp are 57cm. Visually Pacific look a bit more massive and heavy, but not longer. Another very obvious difference is the bill. In Pacific it is more massive and both mandibles have red tips, while in Kelp only the tip of the lower mandible is tinted red. The tail of Pacific Gull ends with a black crescent, visible in flight, while the tail in Kelp is purely white.

above: juv. Kelp Gull

above: juv. Pacific Gull

above: young Kelp Gull

above: immature Pacific Gull

above: Kelp Gull

above: Pacific Gull

above: Kelp Gull

above: Pacific Gull

One last thing to add is that I think that Kelp Gull have the most beautiful Gull call that I have ever heard.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Low tide

Today the tide was very low and there was a lot of activity on the beach. Unfortunately, it was drizzling most of the time and I had to keep the camera safe under the jacket.

above: Silver Gull, Tasmania

above: Pied Oystercatcher, Masked Lapwing, Tasmania

above: This is the first time I see a Silver Gull catch a fish.

above: Masked Lapwing, Tasmania

above: Little Pied Cormorant, Tasmania

above: A patrolling parent. Kelp Gull, Tasmania

above: a cute baby Kelp Gull, Tasmania

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Thursday, February 5, 2009

Gulls

above: Kelp Gull, Tasmania

above: Kelp Gull attacked by much smaller Silver Gull, Tasmania

above: Silver Gull, Tasmania

above: Kelp and Silver Gulls, Tasmania

above: Pacific Gull, Tasmania

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Invaders (in color!)

There was a cheesy sixties show called The Invaders (in color!. A Quinn Martin production). Do you remember it?

All the lovely birds below are alien to Australia, introduced species that compete with locals for food and nesting spots.

Blackbird, Tasmania

Spotted Turtle-Dove, Tasmania

European Goldfinch, Tasmania

Kelp Gull, Tasmania

Common Starling, Tasmania

House Sparrow, Tasmania

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Kelp at lunch

Well... I know that most people wouldn't waste their film on seagulls, but I enjoy watching them at my lunch time. And I'm not wasting film as my camera is digital. Yeah, I know shutter's life is not endless. But I find Pacific and Kelp Gulls (and even Silver) amazing. Later I'd sit and watch for minutes such a photo admiring the detail and structure of the wings.

Immature Kelp Gull, Tasmania

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

lights, camera, ACTION

Two decently good shots (no.1 and no.3) in a single lunch break is quite a good score! This made me post some action in-flight photos that looked thematically linked.

above: Black-faced Cormorant, Tasmania

above: Forest Raven, Tasmania

above: Silver Gull, Tasmania

above: Kelp Gull, Tasmania

above: Silvereye, Tasmania

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Monday, March 31, 2008

Pacific and Kelp

Pacific Gull is a bit bigger, with more massive bill. Both upper and lower mandibles have orange-red tips. In Kelp only the lower mandible tip is red.

above: Pacific Gull, Tasmania