Gulls are everywhere. Gulls are a dime a dozen. They’re not special. They’re not particularly beautiful. They’re not evocative. Gulls are a waste of time. I don’t shoot gulls.
Yeah. Right.
The only statement above that’s even partially true is the first one: they do seem to be almost everywhere.
Meet Spot. Spot is a Western Gull of a certain age who hangs out in the vicinity of Tomalas Bay in California. Spot was given his name by the owner of a vacation house we rented on a recent weekend.
The information book in the house said that Spot has been hanging around for many years, charming guests out of treats. Years? We looked it up: Western Gulls commonly live fifteen years and can live up to twenty-five years. Clearly Spot deserved respect. And a treat.
Since gulls are scavengers, we figured a few oyster crackers wouldn’t hurt. He readily agreed, as my wife made the offering.
A few weeks before, I was shooting brown pelicans near Monterey when this gorgeous gull swept by (sweeping my attention as well) and did a dramatic fly-by in front of a breaking wave. Backlit. Spectacular.
A little more than six months earlier we were marveling at Fur Seals on the Otago Peninsula on the South Island of New Zealand when this graceful Black-Backed Gull glided by, framed by creamy clouds. Yeah. Right. Gulls aren’t evocative . . .
(Nikon D850, Nikon D500. Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2, Tamron 100-400 F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 ED VR zoom.)
AMAGA Photography Blog 
Nice blog on gulls. How about one on buoys?
Rick
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You never know…
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It all depends doesn’t it? There’s that Turneresque light in the surf….and what an interesting expression in the first photo. This individual clearly knows how to make eye contact with humans. 😉
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Indeed! All the better to get treats from humans. I believe “bird brains“ are largely underrated. And yes there is indeed a Turneresque light in the surf. As you can see from a later post, I am a huge fan of Turner.
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