On Sunday I encountered this big, gutsy gull perched at the end of the Santa Cruz pier. This character placidly contemplated me (while we both were freezing our tail feathers) from a remarkably close distance. The first two images were taken with my DA 40 and are uncropped; the second two are cropped versions.

Unfortunately, my camera was set at the unnecessarily high ISO of 400, as we'd just emerged from a restaurant in which I took a few shots; I forgot to reset to 100 - the sort of bone headed thing I seem to be doing more often these days.

Jer

[tcdk]

Wonderful level of details, and funny expression on it's face. I'm always surprised at how big they can be, when you get up close...

I like the shots where you didn't "cut" it's head with the horizon the best...

[slowpez]

Jer, I love the expression on the first one. Love to know what he was thinking (maybe about frozen tailfeathers).

[wshi]

Handsome bird you have there. Does he have a name?

[charliezap]

HI Jer--Very nice bright sharp shots.Reminds me of Florida 2 months ago when you issued me my Captain's commission>.While we are on the subject of birds maybe later today I'll post one of a flicker (woodpecker family) that I took Sunday.The picture is nothing special as birds go but it shows the flicker actually with his eye almost closed all the way.I don't know how common it is to catch a bird doing this but I would venture to say that it would be awhile before I caught another one blinking.--charliezap

[dcmsox2004]

ya talkin ta me? looks like this wisegull got an attitude jer... maybe we needs to like, teach'em a lesson..... dave m

[Sailor]

Wonderful level of details, and funny expression on it's face. I'm always surprised at how big they can be, when you get up close...

I like the shots where you didn't "cut" it's head with the horizon the best...

Thanks much for the kind words - still wish I'd shot these at ISO 100.

Jer

Jer, I love the expression on the first one. Love to know what he was thinking (maybe about frozen tailfeathers).

Thanks, Susan. He was probably wondering why the stupid human was shooting pictures while shivering.

Jer

Handsome bird you have there. Does he have a name?

I think his name is Butch, but his call sign is Blue Leader. He's boss of the Gull Bombing Group responsible for soiling freshly washed sailboats.

Jer

HI Jer--Very nice bright sharp shots.Reminds me of Florida 2 months ago when you issued me my Captain's commission>.While we are on the subject of birds maybe later today I'll post one of a flicker (woodpecker family) that I took Sunday.The picture is nothing special as birds go but it shows the flicker actually with his eye almost closed all the way.I don't know how common it is to catch a bird doing this but I would venture to say that it would be awhile before I caught another one blinking.--charliezap

Thanks, buddy. I'll be looking for your post.

Jer

[Sailor]

ya talkin ta me? looks like this wisegull got an attitude jer... maybe we needs to like, teach'em a lesson..... dave m

Dave - he was pretty big, which no doubt accounts for his attitude.

Jer

[JeffJS]

I actually think you did quite well. In my experience, these are some of the hardest birds to shoot without completely blowing something out in the white body.

[Sailor]

I actually think you did quite well. In my experience, these are some of the hardest birds to shoot without completely blowing something out in the white body.

Thanks for the very kind words, Jeff.

Jer

[cupic]

Even at 400ISO gives great detail TFS


cheers

[Sailor]

Thanks much, my friend.

Jer

[reeftool]

Nice shots of the gull. I don't think the ISO 400 was much of a problem. With my luck, I would have been set at 1600 with the fisheye on the camera.

[Sailor]

Thanks much. Yeah, I know what you mean - I once shot a whole series of images of the Texan's Pep Band (in which my son-in-law plays trumpet) in bright sun at ISO 1600 - it was only after about 30 or 40 shots that the oddly high shutter speeds registered in my sluggish brain. Luckily, they did another set that was able to shoot at ISO 100.

Jer

[cb750r]

I was in Santa Cruz last week too! looks like we may have found the same guy!