When I am abroad it always interests me to see how the local and sometimes exotic gulls are taken for granted by people who just refer to them as "seagulls" without realising their rarity or significance. Even local birders and photographers usually ignore them. This is Hartlaub's Gull Larus Hartlaubii (named after the German ornithologist who first recorded it scientifically). They are a constant sight in Cape Town but infact their existence is precarius with half of the worlds population of 30000 concentrated around the Cape. This bird was about the tamest that I have ever seen allowing me to be just inches away. In fact it was perched on a post that I was leaning on and I photographed its head with my close-up 90mm macro lens without it flinching apart from showing great interest inmy wifes ice cream. When you get close to gulls they always have a very pretty orbital fleshy eye ring, in this species, red.
Click on the link to visit Daves Birding Diary for other sightings and great photographs from around Devon and Exeter.
World Galleries
Click to see these pages
Recent Posts
- Another beautiful Crossbill comes to drink
- Male Great-spotted Woodpecker, Haldon Devon.
- Crossbills at a drinking pool.
- The female Crossbill again.
- Crossbills in Devon
- The common "ole" House Sparrow.
- Blue Grey Tanager. Ecuador
- The Red-headed Barbet in Ecuador.
- Coal Tit sexing.
- Barred Puffbird - Nystalus radiatus from Ecuador.
Visitors by Country
Search the entire Blog
- Blog Search
6872 views before 24/11/08 + figure below!
- Counter from Sep 2014
Other interesting links and sites.
« A variety of Cape Town wildlife. | Main | Reed and Crowned Cormorants. »
January 20, 2013
Hartlaub's Gull
When I am abroad it always interests me to see how the local and sometimes exotic gulls are taken for granted by people who just refer to them as "seagulls" without realising their rarity or significance. Even local birders and photographers usually ignore them. This is Hartlaub's Gull Larus Hartlaubii (named after the German ornithologist who first recorded it scientifically). They are a constant sight in Cape Town but infact their existence is precarius with half of the worlds population of 30000 concentrated around the Cape. This bird was about the tamest that I have ever seen allowing me to be just inches away. In fact it was perched on a post that I was leaning on and I photographed its head with my close-up 90mm macro lens without it flinching apart from showing great interest inmy wifes ice cream. When you get close to gulls they always have a very pretty orbital fleshy eye ring, in this species, red.
|
| | |
Recent Comments