I love the seagulls. They're so crisp and white!
And they're always on the lookout for something!
This one was bigger than the others. I saw what I think was him pull a big fish out of the water. (That might have been the eagle -- he was pretty far away).
I've not seen the gray ones before and don't know if it's a male-female difference or just a different type of gull. Anyone?
They certainly know how to fly high!
Here's Mama Duck. Her number of ducks has varied throughout the summer. First, five. Then four. Now five. Another had more. So I'm wondering -- is this Mama 4-5 or is it Mama 7 (missing a few)?
(It could easily happen on the lake -- there's a Bald Eagle that I think nests in the neighbor's tree or at least flies that way. I either see him when I'm swimming or he's flying in too fast to grab my camera!)
A flotilla of Canada geese. I love seeing them on the water like this.
Less so on my beach. Fortunately, they seem to love the Treeless Loud Neighbor's beach best! (I know. That's very uncharitable.) I leave you with yet another sunset...
...and a few shots of a beautiful moon.
On nights like this I sit on my porch and am just so very grateful that I have the opportunity to enjoy all this in the quiet of the night.
Well, quiet once the Treeless Loud Neighbor's air conditioner goes off.
Sharing with: Saturday's Critters
51 comments:
That first gull looks quite formidable.
Lovely photos! :)
OH, no, not the geese! That always singles fall is coming. Love the lake and your time spent there.
Love your pictures Jeanie. You will have some pretty nature things to paint. Love those baby ducks. Blessings to you , xoxo, Susie
I cannot help but to think of Finding Elmo with seagulls saying "Mine, mine, mine..."
Such wonderful photos.
Wow, that moon shot is amazing. And you still have some nice birds. The grey gull, I believe, is a young one. At least the ones we have here, the juveniles are grey and more mottled. But it's good to see the geese and ducks are similar to what we have here. Enjoy the water. Hugs-Erika
Hi Jeanie: The adult gull in your pictures is an American Herring Gull and the dark-coloured gull is a juvenile American Herring gull. All gulls have an extended period, in some species up to four years, before they attain adult plumage. The same is true for large raptors like eagles. We will make a birder out of you yet!
Wow, you get some great shots from your porch.
How neat to have so many birds to view.
Hope you are doing well, Jeanie.
White is beautiful!
The grey seagull could have walked with the human models on the stage of a Fashion Show:)
Birds make such lovely subjects to photograph!
Lovely photos. It's so relaxing watching the birds on the water, something I do everyday, too. You can't be charitable about those neighbours! Love the moon! Hugs, Valerie
(White) Seagulls, awww, I love and miss them, always a reminder of freedom and water.
I´ve never seen a grey one, though.
Shoot, neighbours really can be a pest...
I love seeing the birds!
I live in a land locked state, so have no idea about sea gulls, other than I saw them when I was in CA. Couldn't tell you more than that, though.
The water is a great place for the Canadian geese. They make such a mess on land (grin). We have them everywhere here. They refuse to leave because we have fed them in the past. Well not ME, but the collective WE.
LOVE that moon shot and the mood night sky. Had to laugh at your neighbor's AC problem. Not something anyone should have to deal with.
Love all the pictures especially the last few and the moon!! Just looks so quiet and PEACEFUL!!! well, until that DREADED LOUD CONTRAPTION goes off again! ha ha ha ha LOL!
I've never seen those grey seaguls here. So nice to be able to enjoy the birds, the ducks and the beautiful sunsets and moons in peace and quiet.
Enjoy your time at the lake Jeanie.
Hello,
It sounds lovely to be at the lake watching the birds, very relaxing. Great captures of the ducks, geese and the gulls. The young gulls usually are a different color. Wishing you a great day!
I see you painting lots of watercolors from these photos.
Jeanie, I love watching birds and your photos are amazing. Seeing a bald eagle in flight is a beautiful sight. We had a nest nearby and then they abandoned it one year. We do see them quite often flying over our house since we are close to the river. Your sunset and moon photos are lovely!
Oh, don't I feel smart! I was going to suggest herring gull to you, and I see David has confirmed that. The herring gulls are quite a nuisance around here, as they enjoy plucking new ducklings from the water. Food chain, and all that, but distressing nonetheless.
Here's the blog post from another knowledgeable birder that finally straightened me out on 'seagulls.' Jonathan Livingston notwithstanding, it seems that 'seagulls' doesn't make it as a term in the birding community. It's so interesting to learn these little details -- it makes see photos like this lovely collection even more pleasurable!
Enjoyed a day on your lake. The birds shots are great and the sunset is stunning. Boooo to Mr Neighbor who clearly doesn't understand the meaning of a lake day.
I'm pretty sure the colour thing is a species thing. I know there are differences in colouration and types of markings depending on the variety of seagull it is. Hope that helps.
Glad you're having such a great time at the lake, and making loads of memories and paintings to enjoy when you're at home in the coming Winter.
You saw a lot of different birds up at the lake! We saw lots of wild life at my parents, too. My mom has bird feeders and a dish of jelly for orioles so we saw lots of orioles and other birds. We also saw a ton of tucks on our swim raft one morning which Paul loved! Ducks are his favorite animal right now. He loves pointing them out in books. There is an osprey nest close to my parents so we saw an Osprey a few times. And when Phil swam across the lake, we saw a couple of loons which are one of my favorite birds! We saw some another morning when we sat on the end of the dock. It's amazing how long they can swim under water. We like to try to guess where they will come up for air!
I'm glad the Geese frequent your neighbor's beach and not yours! Ha!
I like to see the seagull wing open wider, a great shot!
Beautiful little moon in the dark sky.
Thank you for wonderful photos, Jeanie :)
The mottled grey gull is most likely a juvenile ~ they grow whiter as they age ~ lovely moon shot!!
Hey, Treeless Loud Neighbor's yard is the perfect landing pad for those geese. Don't miss those guys one iota! Love the moonlight shots. And it sounds like maybe you could use one of those tiny little sound machines I talked about in my post to drown out the neighbor's ac!
Here on the west coast, we believe the gray birds are the juveniles.
Your photos are wonderful.
Phyllis
Jeanie, I should know this since being brought up by the beach in Santa Cruz or living close to the dump! do seagulls have webbed or regular feet? That gray one has webbed feet (I couldn't see what the seagulls had) and his wing span looked larger that a seagulls? Probably just the camera angle. All so pretty and what a treat to sit quietly and watch that sunset..Happy Wednesday..xxoJudy
So nice to see all of your photographs, your sunset and moon shots are gorgeous.
All the best Jan
Sorry about the noisy neighbours, they do so spoil the peace of a beautiful evening like the one you captured in your final pictures. Otherwise it looks like you spent time in paradise.
We have the white seagulls on our side, but have never seen gray ones. We also have smaller black and white terns I believe and cannot forget our herons. Janice
Lovely photos, Jeanie!
Nice shots! I love the shape of this crescent.
Always a lot going on at the lake I'm sure. I love watching birds, no matter how similar they are. You got some great shots!
hugs,
Jann
Oh I love your little place at the lake....be about time to close it up for the upcoming winter though.
Beautiful photos!! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words on my retirement!!
Hugs,
Debbie
Lovely, lovely photos, Jeanie!! I love gulls, too, and Canadian geese. I don't know about that gull but it might be a different species. Hope the a/c situation goes away soon. ;) One goes on vacation definitely to "get away" from all that.
Happy summer hugs,
Barb :)
Oooo...such great photos, Jeanie! And those moon/sky pics are fabulous!! I've always loved water/shore birds. Coming from a place very inland, and now living near water, having seagulls around all the time has been such a treat that never wanes. Treeless Neighbor... Gotta wonder at folks who are treeless, huh?! I wonder about folks with no trees, no shrubs even, no flowers, just grass... It boggles the mind! haha... Happy Days, my friend ((HUGS))
How wonderful to have all that wildlife to listen to and watch. I can't help with identifying the mystery bird, but I expect David G. can help. A shame the neighbour from hell is still being a nuisance, but hopefully they'll head off home before you do.
Stunning pictures Jeanie !
Thank you
Oh, I love sea gulls too. Where Jess lives, there are dozens at the ocean on the beach and even on the decks at the cafes and restaurants. And the geese are a favorite of mine as well. Such lovely bird photos to look at this morning, Jeanie. The lake is so peaceful and beautiful, isn't it?
~Sheri
Even a sliver of a moon is so beautiful! Wonderful pictures. Love, love the lake birds too.
Love the moon shot! I was awake during the middle of the night last night and ended up catching the half-moon and realizing, if I hadn't been awake, I would have missed it. Great shots.
Your lake days sound like a dream. I love that for you.
When littles disappeared on our pond, it was usually because of snapping turtles:/ Awful things. Hope your Summering goes gliding along like a song:)
- Jennifer
Hooray for bird (and moon) watching at the lake!
(And boo to loud airconditioners! Our neighbors have a really loud one. We never open the windows on their side of the house.)
Hello Jeanie,
I see David has helped with the gull id's. He is an expert when it comes to the birds. Wonderful photos of the gulls, ducks and the geese. I love your sky images, beautiful moon.
Thanks for sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend. PS, thank you for the visit and comment.
I love your photos from the lake! You've had such a good summer seeing so many beautiful sights!
great bird shots....I absolutely love the first moon pic!
The birds have become my best friends during this pandemic. We don't often get to the beach to see all the water birds, sadly. Our area is known for them, especially.
There is something calming in watching the birds. Thank you for sharing yours.
Lovely pics. Glad to see you are participating in Paris in July
So am I. Happy July.
My Paris in July post.
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