I had a few minutes to spare in London today. The cormorants were – for once – conspicuous by their absence (I saw only one, fleetingly, as it flew past). The gulls, on the other hand, were there in number… and variety.
The black-headed gulls were the most numerous, with small flocks gathered on the mud at the river's edge
Black-headed gulls, adult and juvenile
Black-headed gull by the Thames
The herring gulls were fewer in number, but this pair seemed intent on addressing the population imbalance.
The highlight though, for me, was a pair of lesser black backed gulls. Note their yellow legs (probably the easiest means of identification).
Lesser black backed gull
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
12 Comments
Very nice shots. Why do some have pink feet and others yellow?
I like the Clash reference [;)].
Nice set of pictures :up:
Brendan, such a great song!
Eric, thanks!
Lois, I think they colour code them for people like me who have trouble telling them apart 😉
lol I often find myself humming that song as I get the train into London.
Great pics. There are a few black backed gulls in London, Im fairly sure there are some usually coastal Greater black backed gulls in St. James Park, but when I see them Im never sure (they look big next to the cormorants/pelicans though).
I like the picture of black backed gull with yellow legs most of all :up: though all the rest are also very nice 🙂
That's a great shot of the lesser black-backed! :up: And I like your comment about the colour coding 😆
Thanks Anna!
Neil, eminently hummable isn't it! As for the black-backed gulls, my field guide suggests the 'greater' have blacker backs and flesh-coloured legs. The first thing that was noticeable about the ones yesterday was that they were dark, not true black. The legs confirmed it.
Thanks Adele! It was nice to get such a clear shot of the 'lesser'. They have such great feet.