For you fellow Gull lovers out there, this is a small, personal indulgence to illustrate my long-time dream to record all the Gull species in the world. The determined search began at the turn of the
millennium, when it became apparent to me that such an ambition could be fulfilled, so with several species already in the log much more effort was dedicated to the chase. Some 'grey areas' still exist between world authorities regarding 'full species status', so a bench mark had to be set as to the number I would consider acceptable on my own world list, this totals 54. Of these 51 have now been recorded, with 44 committed to photograph, the reality being if my back-pack, containing 18 spools of film, had not been stolen in La
Paz, Bolivia 3 more, Swallow-tailed, Lava and Andean Gulls would also be included in that total. The 3 outstanding are Yellow-footed Gull (dipped twice), Relict Gull (not seen on 3 possible occasions) and Red-legged
Kittiwake which is a prospect for the summer of 2010. However, if during my travels I encounter any sub-species they are certainly not ignored, as for instance within the Herring Gull Complex (dependant on your point of view)
L. a argenteus, L. a vegae and
L. heuglini have all been seen and photographed. As a
precursor to the impending series of photographs, Kelp Gull has been singled out due to its wide distribution across the Southern Oceans, covering 3 continents. The top photograph was taken in Antarctic waters, the next down on South Island, New Zealand, the one directly below this text in South Africa and the final image in Ushuaia, Argentina. You just never know when an 'armchair' might crop up. In my desire for more knowledge I would not be in the least offended if any mistakes or
misidentifications were highlighted, so look forward to any comment and observations, which applies to any or all of my postings.
For you fellow Gull lovers out there, this is a small, personal indulgence to illustrate my long-time dream to record all the Gull species in the world. The determined search began at the turn of the millennium, when it became apparent to me that such an ambition could be fulfilled, so with several species already in the log much more effort was dedicated to the chase. Some 'grey areas' still exist between world authorities regarding 'full species status', so a bench mark had to be set as to the number I would consider acceptable on my own world list, this totals 54. Of these 51 have now been recorded, with 44 committed to photograph, the reality being if my back-pack, containing 18 spools of film, had not been stolen in La Paz, Bolivia 3 more, Swallow-tailed, Lava and Andean Gulls would also be included in that total. The 3 outstanding are Yellow-footed Gull (dipped twice), Relict Gull (not seen on 3 possible occasions) and Red-legged Kittiwake which is a prospect for the summer of 2010. However, if during my travels I encounter any sub-species they are certainly not ignored, as for instance within the Herring Gull Complex (dependant on your point of view) L. a argenteus, L. a vegae and L. heuglini have all been seen and photographed. As a precursor to the impending series of photographs, Kelp Gull has been singled out due to its wide distribution across the Southern Oceans, covering 3 continents. The top photograph was taken in Antarctic waters, the next down on South Island, New Zealand, the one directly below this text in South Africa and the final image in Ushuaia, Argentina. You just never know when an 'armchair' might crop up. In my desire for more knowledge I would not be in the least offended if any mistakes or misidentifications were highlighted, so look forward to any comment and observations, which applies to any or all of my postings.
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