![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-billed-gull-2128-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ring-billed-gull-2128-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nFour recent photos of three species that deserve a little more respect, at least in some circles. The first three were taken yesterday and the last one 13 days ago.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n A Ring-billed Gull cruising low over the water as it was looking for food to steal from some other bird.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The same gull, three frames later.<\/p>\n By 1920 this species was nearly wiped out by human persecution and development but since then they’ve made a remarkable comeback, to the point of being considered a pest in many areas. Large populations of gulls, including this species, in urban and suburban areas can negatively affect airline flight safety, human health, and agricultural production. Their tendency to frequent garbage dumps and parking lots in large numbers does nothing to improve their public image. Nor do their kleptoparasitic habits.<\/p>\n Bird photographers, including yours truly, have a tendency to ignore Ring-billed and other common gulls – a habit I’m trying to break with at least some success. Like most any bird they can be interesting photo subjects, especially in flight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/8000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Canada Geese circling over a pond as they try to decide if they want to land on it. They didn’t.<\/p>\n In recent years Canada Goose populations have increased so dramatically in many areas, including Utah, they’re considered a nuisance. Public park and golf course managers get massive numbers of complaints about goose poop underfoot so both lethal and nonlethal methods are used to control and limit their numbers. About 2 million Canada Geese are “harvested” annually by hunters in the U.S. alone but even that has little effect on their numbers. The “goose problem” is especially acute in winter because many Canada Geese have lost their migratory habit.<\/p>\n As a photographer I may ignore most gulls but I don’t ignore Canada Geese, especially in flight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n An American Coot doing what coots do – chasing another coot across the water.<\/p>\n Coots are raucous and quarrelsome birds whose presence is often announced by loud cackling, grunting, and croaking calls which many folks find unappealing. In some areas their populations are so dense they cause considerable crop damage through depredation and they can be a nuisance in public areas such as golf courses, local parks, commercial developments and suburban residential areas. Shooting, netting, and application of sedatives\/anesthetics have been employed to deal with these problems. Coots don’t even have much appeal for hunters because their meat is considered to be inferior to that of ducks. Hunters often disdainfully refer to coots as “mud hens”.<\/p>\n Bird photographers tend to ignore coots but in that regard I’m an exception. I think their pugnacious habits can make for some really interesting photos.<\/p>\n But then I’m a behavior kinda guy.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Four recent photos of three species that deserve a little more respect.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-billed-gull-2131-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ring-billed-gull-2131-ron-dudley\\"")
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