The bird pictured above is a Glaucous Gull, (not the one on the right which is a Greater Black-backed Gull). I thought the photo was interesting because it shows the comparative size. You can see that it is easily as big as a the Black-backed which is a very large bird and Britain's biggest breeding gull. Glaucous Gulls are scarce visitors to Devon beaches and this one has been with us for several weeks. There is a small fishing fleet that works out of Budleigh Salterton and gulls are attracted to the fish waste scattered on the beach. I haven't had a lot of opportunity for photography this last few days, it's my 40th Wedding Anniversary today, (from time to time I need to do the right thing. However, it seemed like a good idea to take my family visitors to the seaside and I "just happened to have my camera with me". The Glaucous Gull was easily found amongst the darker young Herring Gulls, and also noticeably larger, they have a very fierce expression. They breed in the Arctic and the Atlantic Coasts of Northern Europe and then are said to winter south down to Great Britain and the Great Lakes in the USA.
Also photographed were a few very accommodating Great Blacked Gull. It isn't usual to be able to get close to this species, but at this site they are used to a human presence and you can get as close as 6 feet. The eyes of gulls are quite often much more attractive than you would imagine and in the head studies here,you can see the full effect.
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