Ever have a batch of pictures so large that you put off the laborious
job of going through them all and picking out the viable shots? Well...that’s
why I am only now ready to show my pictures from a recent trip to Kinsale. Kinsale is a small fishing town in west Cork
complete with Oceanside scenery, marina, various piers and even a spar or two. It also sports some of the most obese gulls I
have ever seen. The bay (or inlet, whatever it is) was covered with the usual
screaming crowds of black headed gulls but also had a couple of common gulls
and a group of about twenty herring gulls. Only 2 of those where in full adult
plumage but that didn’t matter as they where both perfectly willing to be fed.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zRD89NgmSSpFHC6kh9zTBrAQGipRpjjUsMFz32mvFwKeiDAq8Ne2vsGbzFdXq21Jatx3cIyszZTAs9WSrSJJjcSMXIjtNMCY3MJoXkKI_PL3EJEwUTuLuXdEJSDVs60_6NxM9IHqhsE/s640/herring001.jpg)
This one I call 'Alpha' since he was more then willing to push off his competitors. A giant herring gull with attitude it seems! Is it me or do these guys have far more confidence then their cousins the lesser black backs?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0akzK2OwcgKeZOX06U9kRtGFxVj-JN97pV-wxGk8hDvISUa_LWkDUYBuJnKFGhtYJvCwZ32FgfzyutI5JVe2R9ewb8zWYoqIr9mwazCTl1tQ1na0qLRXJCar3rqCRFQXHXheTaztpLI/s640/herring016.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fYHzmD-Cq2YPGIDK0Hm1hZku085gJWtMXTVSzeBM3wBV09CuW5JZrDrw5qeB1nvA5x7ugZfpHYzf0b6VpsToSypDfuEtAgUZuNPpnPuw79_VziUjjI_M0sjUcinsnWeEovayl1cWYe0/s640/herring007.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-sGBqBRSTF67m2BJ5dCIl19nXuFDlMRl4RPfYfOvIHkfMt11AMtB3ciWvgTytHWR_kZEd245b8jzymlMkQ5-HOG27oD8yXRg6chpVbTZXzMTFW4N7eZOflAqLpPbHVfej1Ukq1UyfSs/s640/herring015.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CEtEJkt_32lNeqxhc5JU7NKQokPPJXkJCGj3cGwnwlFXFUC2jyZsT3aKfsCw2TN5Gc1YA4T9cn3uIaHt2UAx2Ns7Us_c4k0eQ6STHDuxxmwav2HB_c-utEz9kxWOvwhovfzJ4C6h1Ug/s640/herring013.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimsGjwybzFG5atehHvQMQOESHB5u1AEw9-txkJGmqHY-VJKFQwUq5bXMcUd3NHRYUoJpN0V4LEbQeqcbL4S5_6g7RIuwgqdh-TOXMuoCRguj0az7WrBc1VeHSCGbNruKneeDI_SApHfc/s640/herring004.jpg)
One of the youngling herring gulls chancing his luck.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ8p3SdN571Sj9VpPCpMrXCHZ36DU9IM0hxxotfLXEBbnZEXm_lxC78fHpTtAcraEDgC6HzOy-QP9JjIeSMYxsDYgio6xoj-PouADRz3Z87f5gasJSuqCTpf24Wxx0loZvkcu2ijm9mc/s640/herring005.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalUXPTi4xJ1p-ClfpSx_0VoYkt8oNhiBM5OwX6jjkCtfoCIQFN3lYK_Dk4BWg8JCtUWiKkIaMzcwlyWzWfgelZBS6kqrdf199FSYR_Guf1KXvpXj4AaIcYNL-VS89OVm4cy9yCCnf2Fo/s640/herring010.jpg)
One of the thousand or so hovering black headed gulls eager for an easy meal. Hard to imagine that these guys are so hard to find in summer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9-ZxaC2GuyMW2bx6CjLZi5NHjRhPk_Dsb4_OI9tpbkUfu-ybP_OlqDStjagtm6xe2yCWR-FBCpaxWQpm0uIiQVc3sMPWx_S83p0KhYAmM1J-jMrEgKbQfmnszC-idJXYtb3sAlz3Jms/s640/bhg001.jpg)
A common gull
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8iBSp85XM9FAdLWkd4wssh9bAI3rGPdukhOhndoAwLdCWLjybeaDtN_MyyuVbMSYMntltZ7q6Zlswi-BDpr2_6162zopVb6QbR_-QBWBxbv4miIolAPbb9ICCQgdMGKELHY5qrkgTs0/s640/cgull001.jpg)
Also spotted this unusually aproachable great black backed gull, truly a massive bird, specially compared to the pigeon sized black heads.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cq-wRERai_z4actmP-KzI5D7_5xtgqh1EXTf6Zr-0KaJnKXDl3OGV06Vi8mlXyGHTIM8_K7I4E34jHx3QVV-OudzQLYvuABpiYyUnxyLjvZGLJnlQET1muZij4XwX6jznoWMdIf-hjw/s640/gbbg004.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrp75MBmGBKScakV-E2f-_Ma03qwjSgwXK6O9vJbflOd_DZk2MItGwJS7cAJ5oo6lgU4qwz0HLCPEv_-UO_hWH9vbn8To4e-gGkNxhQUwlyHjCw_8C4zYVK_58mwxyESDdPimsAvFqaE/s640/gbbg001.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinaEHO-BBR5eiOAjL-hTnQJvEOZX2m9g9_dVj8-49PKnUNfrQ4E4kk-ubz3MYo0nQCj1Qpf0i0G0gVuXqSM-DrxfyHHG98WF35rfIaTZFd-ho30tVqVuexpMXv5Z6gB_jwkS_p3WeKAs/s640/gbbg005.jpg)
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A jackdaw and a rook or two joined the party too showing glimmers of colour in their plumage. Always nice to see!![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bx8OHbe1kuIbVIh0dEVI5n3xvTp0JhbhNOEI_pcW0u3M2VqncVxTfoSrd7IVuKZvU0dh_kwUvsmM6MKcH-6ibkLpGqzb3nJchTKVlcncqzKKaX9tevG9JJfUnj7DLUaLljm6GMzGXaA/s640/jackdaw001.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kw4PtTXa3tKF84eM6WJiC34BYSq3fjCi444Ikg6zg2ZN2wtivgRTQS4OohLnoAXPqd78FeCaPnHWK2gp4GzldbkTLtHm2zZEn9KitCccN2hR-JV_jAvnWTMlx1boNnXhF9F24CisFQI/s640/rook002.jpg)
Hi Leon, good to see the blog again :)
ReplyDeleteSome great close detail in those head shots Leon - keep em coming!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. I love Kinsale.
ReplyDeleteshots 1-5 are amazing shots of the herring gull!! Great post Leon. Siobhan
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments all :-)
ReplyDelete