Gull watcher

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos). Family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes.

R - Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus), male, and L - Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes, Texas, USA

Brown Skua or Subantarctic Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus), EAT A TASRT FISH!!!, family Stercorariidae, order Charadriiformes, Hout Bay, South Africa

Harlequin ducks are quite interesting to observe.

Here’s the black skimmer feeding behavior in action! Their lower bill is quite sensitive and can snap closed the instant they hit on prey. I’m always amazed with how swiftly they skim. The beak MOST unique!

Birds on the wing, Lundy, Bristol Channel, Devon, 1951

A great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) with a crustacean snack in Canada

I received a stark reminder that these idyllic suburban ponds are not Disney Cartoon-style peaceful utopias. There are life and death struggles - nature - going on in our neighborhoods. This recidivist great black-backed gull has apparently developed a taste for hooded hens in this diverse pond.