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Swallow-tailed Gull 2

Image # 1D2_03294

Genovesa Island

 

Canon 100-400L/f4.5-5.6 IS at 210 mm

ISO 400, f/10, 1/2000 second

Manual Metering

Handheld

 

This is one of my favorite shots from this trip. I took quite a few shots of these gulls as they soared around, and I'll have to admit that it wasn't until I got back to the yacht and reviewed the day's images on my laptop, that I discovered it was carrying something in its beak. It appears to be a small rock of some type. In doing some reading on this gull, I learned that it is unique in being a nocturnal feeder, and also that it arranges pebbles, bones and other debris in a circular pattern around the single egg it lays. Perhaps this stone was being carried for that purpose?