"Yes? You called?"
Sometimes the beach echoes with the cries of gulls. ("Gull", my old Oxford says, comes from the "Welsh gwylan, Cornish guilan: ... 'to weep'. The probable sense was 'wailer' from its cry.") Last Sunday, they mostly sat silently, waiting for the falling tide to expose their clam supper.
Gull man. (Gullible? Gulliver? Gully?)
Pre-flight pose. Looks a bit tipsy.
Waiting.
"Hey! That's me, down there!"
The sandpipers had already found their dinner, and chatted quietly as they ate:
"Peep!"
Digging deep.
"Peep, peep, peep, ... Let's try another spot. Over there! ..."
I love this photo, fuzzy as it is. Laurie was panning with the birds, but just not fast enough. I like the sense of movement and those needle-sharp bills. Danger coming, all you worms and beach hoppers! Hide!
The mallards were more placid, dawdling about in sleepy pairs.
... unless a dog happened by. Then ...
... off they went, with an annoyed, "Quack, quack, quack, QUACK!"
I love the sounds of our gulls and I miss them terribly when we're away!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to find others who love gulls. I can watch them for hours.
ReplyDeleteI could use a gull right about now. Here I've a new camera and not much but snow to take pictures of ... and gulls are such good posers! Speaking of snow, there are a few flakes of the stuff drifting down now!
ReplyDeleteOur company leaves today and more is coming ... but not to stay by us. To us it just means more visiting and maybe the odd meal!! It will be nice to have the house back after 12 days ... even if D's brother IS a quiet bloke.
The best of 2010 to you! May you find many more wonderful critters to marvel at!
Nice pics - hundreds of gulls near my house in Wales today - coming home perhaps?
ReplyDeleteNice post! I never knew about the origins of the word 'gull'. Thanks for sharing. Definitely fits, except of course when they are laughing histerically.
ReplyDelete