three weeks ago there were three baby european herring gulls Larus argentatus argentatus on our neighbors' roof. facing west in the evening sun neither the angle of the shot nor the lighting weren't optimal and they had their backs to us as well so it was tough getting a decent photo.
two of them came out okay with a little editing but the third one wouldn't even raise it's head
such is the life of an amateur bird photographer. there's bound to be a certain amount of charm in most any baby photo of any animal and the shot does have a redeeming comic element to it.
an adult was perched on another roof back in april. i was facing north which gave better lighting conditions but the subject matter was more common place. here by the harbor the herring gulls are all around and they are very noisy all spring and summer in the early morning northern sun. while we don't appreciate being woken at 4 in the morning, things wouldn't be the same without their presence. so we just grin and bear it and take an occasional photo when the opportunity presents itself.
eurasian magpies or common magpies (Pica pica) are less prevalent but still quite common. this photo was taken at the end of may again facing south. magpies are very easy to identify with their striking black and white coloring. when the sun is just right some of the black turns into a shimmering blue. they are very curious intelligent birds and rather mischievous as well. when we keep the front door open they keep an eye on what is going on always on the lookout for something to eat. last month my wife purchased a coconut to make a nice fish curry but alas the coconut was not suitable to eat. so i hung out half of it in our apple tree to see if the birds would eat it. the other half was lying on the floor not far from the open front door. as i was sitting in the next room i heard some unusual rustling. i got up to see what it was and saw a magpie (presumably the one in the photo) flying out the door with half a coconut. i had to laugh- it was to be given to the birds anyway but we had thought it was big enough to share.
Oh, the noisy gulls, they are so vocal and woke me up early in the morning too.
But the baby is so cute.
Magpies are common here too and they are very noisy too. 😀
Hi there @eolianpariah these are some really nice bird photos on the roof good luck in the contest they really look like winners :)
thanks a lot. there are usually many good entries to this contest so let's see how it goes. i am very happy i got a curation from curangel
Hi there, @eolianpariah yes I noticed that many people are into bird photography well you did get a honorable mentions but I think you deserved better :)
thanks for your kind words. to be perfectly honest so do i but i won last week and this week the winner was clear. i think he is a professional. my entry could have fairly been 2nd 3rd of 4th instead of mention. but actually i am glad other people are getting prizes because it is better for the community. if the same people always win it would ruin the community and the contest would be terminated. that is why i aim mostly to get curations. i must say the curators are fair but demanding. to me that is sufficient motivation to produce quality posts and ample reward for doing so.
i am very critical of the photos i post and there have been quite a few of these bird contests where i have not even got any mention but the curations have been generous. the judge has a difficult job of deciding and i like to see new names among the winners and the concept of the contest is focused more on fun and sharing rather than on sharp competition so i don't make an issue. still, i hope anybody who sees any consistently unfair judging of the posts of other contestants mentions it politely to the leadership.
Hi there, @eolianpariah words well spoken and you summed that up well, is true in all what you said :)
Oh those babies! They are so very cute and delightful to see. We don't have Magpies here, and the gulls that do come around do not venture into the woods.
the babies are cute but looking at these i cant 'help seeing the connection to dinosaurs. i guess baby dinosaurs were also cute