pauraque: bird flying (Default)
pauraque ([personal profile] pauraque) wrote in [community profile] common_nature2024-09-15 12:09 pm

Ring-billed Gull preening

While on a walk by Lake Champlain I took a series of pictures of a Ring-billed Gull enjoying a good preen.















Ring-billed are our most common gull here. The namesake black ring around the bill is distinctive. This is an adult, with the gray mottling on the head indicating it's finished breeding for the year and has molted into winter plumage.

Here's a wider view of its hangout spot:

shirebound: (Default)

[personal profile] shirebound 2024-09-17 10:45 am (UTC)(link)
These pics are wonderful! It's the simple pleasures in life -- like preening -- that truly matter.