05 February 2012

Tarapunga, red-billed gull


Red-billed gulls (Chroicocephalus scopulinus), until recently placed in the genus Larus as Larus novaehollandiae scopulinus, are one of the most common shorebirds in Aotearoa, although apparently they're classed as "Nationally vulnerable". They were certainly plentiful at Flounder Bay, where I photographed this one in April 2008.


[18 April 2008, Canon 20D, 300mm f4 L IS, ISO 200, 1/200 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor
at

2 comments:

  1. Lesley7 February 2012 at 21:29

    Is it covered with sand or has it lost part of its left foot?

    ReplyDelete
  2. pohanginapete7 February 2012 at 21:49

    Lesley, in this case both feet were still intact, just a little sandy. However, gulls with one or sometimes both feet missing aren't unusual. I could speculate about the reasons, but I really don't know.

    ReplyDelete

Constructive criticism is welcomed (I particularly appreciate thoughts on what you like and don't like), but please keep it courteous.