Juvenile Ring-billed Gull, Le Claire, Iowa
During my presentation last week I was talking about not to forget the common species, the critters that are present most of the time, usually in larger numbers, and that don’t make it too difficult to get a shot. To make a difference and make the photo special, there has to be at least a certain quality of light or maybe we can catch a unique gesture of the animal.
Today I was driving down south along the Mississippi again but it was one of these days when not much happened despite warm and sunny weather. I had several plans in place for today but I didn’t found what I was hoping for. Coming home with an empty memory card doesn’t happen very often. When I saw a bunch of gulls fighting for fish on the ice near Le Claire, IA, in gorgeous late afternoon light, I knew I had at least something. The Ring-billed Gull is the most common gull in our area and not difficult to find. This juvenile was on its way to the remains of a fish, nothing really special but the light and reflection on the deep blue ice made me push the shutter button.