Seagulls for a starter

What a nice way to start the year: 100th edition of the SMAP contest! It's amazing how we got to this number, and a huge thumbs up to all the organizers who made it possible: you rock!

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For the cool edition theme, first bird for 2023, I can't tell for sure if it were these ones below, the pigeons, or the ever more present black redstart; since I still wasn't able to photograph any birds this year, but there was no way I would miss contest number 100, here's my photo selection for the first 2023 birds: seagulls!

I'm lucky to see the sea everyday and living less than 500 meters from the seashore, so seagulls are a daily observation.

^{Yellow-legged gull - Larus michahellis, juvenile}

Juvenile seagulls are easy to spot, given the spotted plummage; they miss the adults smooth colours, which they will gain fully by the second, third, or even fourth year of life, depending on the species.

Adults are more beautiful, and one thing I've noticed to when selecting these photos... they have a more grumpier look too! 😁

Regardless of the region of my country, all the adults don't look thrilled (to be nice) for having their photo taken. And I use a decent zoom, so I'm not that near! The above was in São Miguel, an Azorean island; this one below was in Alentejo, in southwest Portugal.

Notice the expression?

Even in other countries, it's not a portuguese seagulls exclusive! Check Croatia, for instance:

And when they don't look grumpy...

... they changed to simply bored. Well, whatever; I like photographing them anyway. And being such a common species here provides the chance to a ton of decent photos. I even have unexpected bokeh effects!

These couple was photographed in Berlengas, a little island off the portuguese coast. They are so numerous here, that population control had to be done, by egg removal, in order to keep some ecological balance; I don't know if it's still done today, but wouldn't be surprised if it did.

I wonder what new species will I be able to see this year. I will try to organize more birdwatching sessions in Portugal, that's for sure. There are a few spots not that far from where I live that I haven't visited for a long time, and some even have new observation points.

Either new species or not, I'll be sure to share any decent photos with you; may we all see a ton of feathered friends this year!

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