Figure 1 – Great black-backed gull at Woods Neck Beach, Falmouth, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2016.

Bird photography is a little like stamp collecting. One of the goals is to photograph as many species as possible. And then you store away in your mind that this not so perfect photograph is an acceptable place holder until you get a really good one. All summer long I have been chasing a decent photograph of a Towhee, and I am having similar problems achieving a decent image of a eastern blue jay or a Baltimore oriole. So Figure 1 fits that bill. It is an image that I took at Wood Neck Beach in Falmouth, Massachusetts of a great black-backed gull – larus marinus. It is fuzzy because of the flatness of the light and the scattering of the atmosphere. But I do really like the juxtaposition of the people of the image. The woman who seems to be launching the bird and indicating a horizontal plan for it to fly in. And in modern times people play an important role in the life of this species.

It is the “flying brick.” I remember once taking the ferry from Falmouth to Martha’s Vinyard. People were feeding these gulls. They would follow along with perfect matched speed with the boat, look to the side, and then break ranks to grab a arm raised offered morsel. These were usually french fries. So much for gull nutrition. So until I get a better image of this beautiful flyer …

Canon T2i with EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens at 172 mm, ISO 1600, Aperture Priority AE Mode, 1/2000th sec at f/13.0 with no exposure compensation.