Wednesday 11 April 2012

The American Ring-billed gull

Ceredigion Bird blog has been reporting this bird consistently but I have not manged to see it recently. On Saturday morning we parked near the Station Road entrance to the Teifi Marshes reserve and went into Cardigan shopping. On the way back, just after the old bridge we looked at this gull - only about 5 metres away - and I recognised it as the ring billed gull - but no camera! On Sunday I took the camera to look for it again. There was no sign of a gull, but as I was giving up a gull flew up the river, turned round at the new bridge and came back down and landed on the other side of the river. It was the ring billed gull. Waited some time for it to cross the river and come a bit closer. Managed this flight shot:


Taken with my Canon 500mm lens 1.4 extender, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/800sec. (Handheld as I had not been to get my tripod at this time).
And this closer image:


Same kit but with tripod ISO1000 f8 @ 1/2500sec.

After a quick look at the Curlew Hide we returned to the car and heard a bird singing in a bush alongside the river:


Again same kit f8@ 1/500sec. hand held.

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