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Black-headed Gull at Lake Arthur, Butler County, PA
Butler County's third Black-headed Gull, amazingly all at the exact same location, came in the form of this adult at
the South Shore swim area at Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park, first found on 9 December. Butler's two previous records for
this species were of winter adult birds on this same patch of grass, the first 5 to 28 December 1998 and the second 27 November to 10 December 2008. I'm now one of the lucky ones to have seen all three!
An interesting question is raised as to whether the 2008 bird and the present bird are in fact the same individual. It
doesn't seem that far-fetched a suggestion, even as it can of course never be proven.
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| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 2x TC III, 1/800 sec. at f/18 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
Here's an unusual look...
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| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 2x TC III, 1/1250 sec. at f/18 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
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| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x TC III, 1/2500 sec. at f/10 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
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| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x TC III, 1/1000 sec. at f/11 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
The swim area is an easy place to make up-close portraits of Ring-billed Gulls, and when I'm there I usually stop to
try for one or two if the light is good. Tripod is essential; when working this close with a long lens you need to stop way
down... f/18 may not even have been far enough but this one made the cut anyway...
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| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 2x TC III, 1/640 sec. at f/18 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
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