Day 18.243: Gulls and terns (Downeast)

Continuing my recaps of nature sightings from our trip Downeast. We've been trying to get past dismissing gulls as unidentifiable with help from our more expert friends. We continued on the trip, although what ended up in these photographs was a fairly limited selection.

Bonaparte's gull

Common tern

Common tern - these ones were very noisy (possibly young?)

American herring gull

Common tern

Herring gull with Jonah crab

We discovered here (at Head Point Light on Campobello Island) that the herring gulls here use a similar method to break crab shells on these rocks to the way "our" gulls do with surf clams on the beach. I watched one fly up and drop the crab onto the rocks and then fly down and retrieve it from the water after it bounced.

Another herring gull with an unfortunate crab

Ring-billed gull

Common tern

Common tern

Herring gull in Eastport, Maine.