Friday, January 10, 2014

Iceland Gull

This will be a little longer than my usual posts, so I hope you will bear with me.

The day of the brown booby there was a little drama. (Lord, I hope people aren't landing on my blog because they searched for other kinds of boobies). I vote we rename all booby birds.

Once I saw that I wasn't going to get any good looks at the booby (good grief!), much less any shots, I moved on to other subjects in another part of the Tchefuncte river. A very well dressed, middle-aged man, came up to ask us about the booby, so we pointed the way and wished him luck.

As soon as the man got to the target area, a Madisonville police car made a beeline for him, sounding the siren in short blasts to get his attention. I watched from a distance as the cop hassled him for several minutes, even taking his license back to the squad car to call it in. For goodness' sake, the man was well-dressed and obviously a birder with a nice pair of binoculars. He drove a frickin' Escalade! Finally, he was let go and drove away. The look on his face as he drove off was one of anger. And I can't say I blame him. I felt awful, as though I were somehow responsible.

Later that afternoon, as we pulled into Mandeville Harbor's Yacht Club to look for the Iceland gull, Mr. Escalade pulled into the parking spot next to us, so we exited our vehicles to talk. He said the cop almost arrested him! I apologized, telling him that we had been photographing and birding that area for months without a problem. Yes, there is a lot of construction going on, but there are NO signs posted to keep people out. Apparently, the cop told him he was trespassing. Well, Mr. Escalade knew some people in high places and was going to report the cop. Hee hee.

After all that, Mr. Escalade was kind enough to drive us to the exact location of the Iceland gull. We never would have found it on our own. Birders are awesome folks. The end.
There has been much debate on the birding list I subscribe to whether this is a Kumlien's or Iceland gull.
I think they finally settled on generic Iceland gull.

He stayed close to this Herring gull the entire time we were there. When the herring flew off, he flew off, too.
I guess they're buddies. Awwww!!

Doesn't he have a sweet face?
It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice.
Author unknown

Linking with Eileen's Saturday's Critters.

41 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

I agree that most birders are awesome people!

Hmmm. Sometimes I wonder about owners and their trespassing rights. Just sayin'.

Both a Brown Booby and Iceland Gull were reported here in Ontario sometime last fall but I saw neither one. Well, they were seen a long distance from where we live so we didn't try to see them either...but maybe another year we will. ;))

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I love how he and the herring were friends :)

Kamana said...

i LOVE that first image. i love taking pictures of birds too.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...


awww

I love to get two species in the same shot. special treat.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i am still laughing at that 1st sentence you wrote. about the search engine. you make me smile. i guess it is a way to get more folks to your blog. & i know they will stick around. your pics rocks & i love tuning in to see what you will share each day.

happy weekend!! i think i will go to Australia today. no seriously i really want to go. you are so sweet. thanks for understanding my humor & wishing to laugh with me or at me too. you rock! ( :

The Cranky said...

If all birders are like you then they're definitely nice Gail! Pity about Mr. Escalade being hassled but it sounds as though he'll have the last laugh.
Boobies (the bird) make me smile, they always look faintly ridiculous and apologetic about it.

Bas. said...

maar je hebt ondanks toch weer een hele mooie serie.

Shug said...

Yes....such an unusual name for a bird! Must have been a guy that named it!! Poor man...what an awful experience for him, but glad that all worked out. It was nice of him to help you find the iceland gull. I can only imagine how relaxing it must be to enjoy bird watching...hopefully I'll be able to do a little of it myself in the near future.
suppose to be a nice weekend, so I hope you get lots of good pictures...

Hootin Anni said...

...definitely a sweet face!!

You were brave to go in a vehicle with a stranger. Not me. For ANY bird...not even a booby.

LOL...you made me laugh. Bud is always snortin' when I mention BROWN booby. Oh, gimme a break dear....seriously I agree with you tho, that's such a misnomer.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

It is difficult now to get out with the camera and shoot as we have to be careful of who all is around and they fear we maybe taking pictures of them. Sad it has come to this, much joy is taken out of shooting anymore.

The gull was sitting pretty and just waiting for you.

Hope all is good with you and have a blessed warm weekend.

Willow said...

Good reading and great shots !
Hope you have a marvelous weekend .

DeniseinVA said...

Great photos and what a shame about that nice gentleman being bothered like that. I have only seen a booby once, when we went down to Florida to a rehabilitation center and they had a Blue Footed Booby recovering. He was magnificent!

Karen said...

Handsome birds!

Bill said...

Quite a story although I was literally laughing out loud during the first few paragraphs. Wonderful photos of the gulls!

TexWisGirl said...

the gulls are pretty.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

That cop sounds like he was the jerky type. Glad the guy wasn't arrested for birding. Sheesh, surely there are bigger issues in the state to handle?

Gail Dixon said...

Thank you all for your nice comments!

Please note that I did not get in the car with Mr. Escalade. Double D and I followed him to the location in our cars. Sorry, should've explained it better. In trying to keep the post short I left out a few pertinent details. :/

Anonymous said...

Indeed Birders are special people. Dianne

Deanna said...

Perfect quote to go with your post. Too bad about Mr. Escalade and his run-in with the law. That's why cops get the bum-rap sometimes because of treatment like that. Great pics of the Iceland gull.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I agree,the Booby should be renamed. Must have been named by some man.LOL
You did get great pictures of the Gull.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Good grief what a crazy story -- the police must not have enough to do there (?).....Birders re nice people -- they're always willing to share knowledge and don't laugh at my amateiur efforts at photography. In real life or in virtual life either one!

Evelyn S. said...

Gail, I continue to be blown away by your bird photos! Gulls, terns, boobys (should that be "ies"?) .... I swear they pose for you! The detail that you capture is so wonderful.

eileeninmd said...

What a pretty gull, lovely photos! Happy weekend to you!

renae said...

Oh wow. That sounded so puzzling as to what the guy was up and had done. Glad you met up with him later and got the full story. and Yes, that little guy at the end does have a fun cute face.

Awesome photos. I'm not sure if it is the birds or the water I enjoy the most. Awh heck, I just love you!!!

Linda said...

Great photos! I wonder who was trying to hide what?

Waldameise Andrea said...

It crazy things happen. As well, everything turned out okay again. I admire again the beautiful seagulls on her blog. All kinds, I do not know. Unfortunately, the nearest sea is very far eliminator, so I go very often.

Friendly Weekend Greeting
Waldameise

Stewart M said...

Gulls can be a real nightmare at times - but they are never as bad as having to tell people at work you spent the weekend looking for a Brown Booby!

Great pictures.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

PS: My bright sparkling water shot was taken at a sewage works!

Helma said...

You have this very beautiful gull immortalized Gail.
Even in my hometown are enormous seagulls.
I live surrounded by water :-)

Rosemary Aubut said...

Always an adventure with you Gail!!! Too funny! Great shots! Keep them coming and try to stay out of trouble!!!!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Nice shots, and I feel for the birder...

Anonymous said...

I wonder why Mr. Escalade was given a hard time and not you guys? Perhaps he has a history of trespassing?

DeniseinVA said...

Hi Gail, back to answer your question about our new bird feeder. We got it from Plow and Hearth. There is a shop not too far away but you can also get their catalogs. It's more expensive than some I have bought but it looks sturdy and the birds took to it right away.

Unknown said...

Wonderful photos once again. That was so nice of MR Escalade to show you where to find this beauty..

Hope you are having a happy weekend.

Hugs~

Ela said...

Your pictures are wonderful
Great shots
Greetings

Anonymous said...

What a great story! I'm glad he wasn't arrested (or you, either!)

Unknown said...

Wonderful shots! I like gulls. Enjoy your weekend!

Anonymous said...

Pretty birds!

rainfield61 said...

I would like to be an "awesome" too.

rainfield61 said...

I would like to be "awesome" too.

Starla said...

What a story!! I feel for the man, but my guess is, he will get the last line in the story!!

Today, I figured out one of the reasons your photos strike such a cord with me; they are scenic and peaceful! As of late, my photos only consist of HS sporting events. Loud, lots of action (which, translates to lots of blurry photos, despite my high shutter speed),just LOTS!! LOL! Peace is good for my weekend!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

You tell a great story, Gail, not to mention I always enjoy the great photography!