holly_m_hill
Gulls by the Ocean
Three seagulls enjoying a warm January afternoon at Wrightsville Beach, NC
I’m not positive, but I think these birds are Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), based on information that I found. Herring gulls do reach the North Carolina coast and have white spots on the tips of their wings. A preferred food of Herring Gulls is marine fish, so they’re certainly in the right location, and they tend to be rather social, which is a perfect adjective for these three I observed. There were also five much smaller birds that appeared to be the younger generation walking around on the beach near these three.
Since ecology is all about how organisms interact with their environments, we can consider how these birds are waddling in the tide, the sea oats that are just out of the picture, and maybe the small critters hiding out in the sand. Perhaps if I had stuck around longer, I would’ve been able to see the predation of fish in the water. (Fun fact: Herring Gulls—assuming these are it—actually also eat other birds.) They seem to be enjoying themselves in the intertidal zone, but, despite the temperature being in the 60s when I took this photo, I’m not sure how warm that water could be! I’m interested in the geographic distribution of these organisms and how well they manage to get enough to eat in the winter without so many generous beachgoers.
Source on types of gulls: www.spwickstrom.com/seagull/
Gulls by the Ocean
Three seagulls enjoying a warm January afternoon at Wrightsville Beach, NC
I’m not positive, but I think these birds are Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), based on information that I found. Herring gulls do reach the North Carolina coast and have white spots on the tips of their wings. A preferred food of Herring Gulls is marine fish, so they’re certainly in the right location, and they tend to be rather social, which is a perfect adjective for these three I observed. There were also five much smaller birds that appeared to be the younger generation walking around on the beach near these three.
Since ecology is all about how organisms interact with their environments, we can consider how these birds are waddling in the tide, the sea oats that are just out of the picture, and maybe the small critters hiding out in the sand. Perhaps if I had stuck around longer, I would’ve been able to see the predation of fish in the water. (Fun fact: Herring Gulls—assuming these are it—actually also eat other birds.) They seem to be enjoying themselves in the intertidal zone, but, despite the temperature being in the 60s when I took this photo, I’m not sure how warm that water could be! I’m interested in the geographic distribution of these organisms and how well they manage to get enough to eat in the winter without so many generous beachgoers.
Source on types of gulls: www.spwickstrom.com/seagull/