Steve'sDigicams

Black Knight · Sep 17, 2007, 6:13 PM

Hi All

As most of you regulars know. I don't post Much. But I thought this was a story you would all enjoy.
Two weekends ago, we were on a family vacation In Hyannis Mass. I am a Light House Hunter and I am always looking for a New one to photograph. This year I found a New one to photograph in Chatham Mass. So While i was Up photographing the lighthouse, My Family was on the Beach. After I had taken my shots I walked down and saw the Bird in the picture. I thought It was a Seagull, but after googling seagulls I am Not sure as this bird is brown. Anyway I Took about 30 pictures and the Bird just posed for Me. After I was through, i started walking down the beach. After walking aways down the beach, I Turned around and here was the bird Following Me. It did this for the entire time i was on the beach, just like a puppy.
Don't know why It was following unless it was looking for me to throw some food.

Enjoy

Phil

robar · Sep 17, 2007, 7:57 PM

phil,
try getting lower on this kind of shot. get down to their level. it'll make a big difference.

you do LIGHTHOUSES????? show us the stuff... you've been holding back.

roy

mtngal · Sep 17, 2007, 9:32 PM

Like your picture - especially since it got me to look up gulls in my western birdsfield guide. I know I've seen brown gulls before - apparently some gulls are brown when immature, and some of the larger types of gulls can take 4 years to reach their adult coloring, others fewer years. So you were probably being followed by a child bird hoping for a hand-out. Thanks for giving me the excuse to learn something new about birds.

John Hill · Sep 17, 2007, 9:50 PM

I agree, if I saw that fellow on the beach around here I would think he was a juvenile gull. Odd thing is they look to be bigger in the brown plumage!

Yes, lighthouse pictures please!:-)

Black Knight · Sep 17, 2007, 10:59 PM

Roy

Thanks For the Tip. I really tryed to get lower. But, most of this summer i have been fighting a Bad bacK. I am in therapy for it now. So getting any lower than i was Would not have been a good idea.

Harriot
Thanks for the kind words and for the identification. I thought it might be a Imature Gull, but i was not Sure.

John
Thanks for the kind Words.

Since you asked i will try to post a few of what i think are my better lighthouses, later this week.

Phil

penolta · Sep 18, 2007, 12:08 AM

Juvenile gulls can be tough to identify -Harriet is on the right track, but the wrong coast (as am I

).Based on its appearance and your location,a fair guess might be that it is a first year Herring Gull, but a side viewcould help to confirm it - do you have one to post from among the 30 pictures you took?

Being unable to bend because of back spasms is a problem I can appreciate.If it matters enoughthere are several less than ideal - but still somewhat practical - things you could try when you have a cooperative subject like that hungry gull - you have seen how press photographers when in a crowd hold their cameras above their heads and fire off bursts hoping to get something useful; you could lower your camera to waist level or below, and with autofocus and a fairly wide angle and high enough resolution you couldget something useful by cropping a smallerimage out ofthe larger frame. If yours is a permanent disability (hopefully it is not), other things that could help are investing in a right-angle viewfinder that would get you a few inches lower, or a camera with a flip out LCD panel that you could hold at or below waist level. If all thisis too much of a bother :crazy:, juststick to the lighthouses - and show us some of your images!

Gumnut · Sep 19, 2007, 5:20 AM

i liike the story that goes along with the photo
it does look quite large

some one needs to invent an inverted tripod with a shutter release
not sure how to go aboiut seeing what you are taking

maybe Dawg, or one of the other engineering types can come up with something

nhmom · Sep 19, 2007, 6:09 AM

Phil,

What a sad story. It does sound like he was waiting for you to give him something.

We have those same gulls up in Hampton, NH. At least that's what someone who's lived here their entire life told me they were. I'd never seen anything but the white ones either having grown up in California.

Also, can fully understand the shot as taken. I've got arthiritis in my sacroiliac joints. The only way I could get that lower would be to lay on the ground on my side and then struggle getting back up.

Patty

Sep 17, 2007, 6:13 PM	#1
Black Knight Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oxford, CT Posts: 1,309	Hi All As most of you regulars know. I don't post Much. But I thought this was a story you would all enjoy. Two weekends ago, we were on a family vacation In Hyannis Mass. I am a Light House Hunter and I am always looking for a New one to photograph. This year I found a New one to photograph in Chatham Mass. So While i was Up photographing the lighthouse, My Family was on the Beach. After I had taken my shots I walked down and saw the Bird in the picture. I thought It was a Seagull, but after googling seagulls I am Not sure as this bird is brown. Anyway I Took about 30 pictures and the Bird just posed for Me. After I was through, i started walking down the beach. After walking aways down the beach, I Turned around and here was the bird Following Me. It did this for the entire time i was on the beach, just like a puppy. Don't know why It was following unless it was looking for me to throw some food. Enjoy Phil Attached Images

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Sep 17, 2007, 7:57 PM	#2
robar Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: D/FW area Texas Posts: 7,590	phil, try getting lower on this kind of shot. get down to their level. it'll make a big difference. you do LIGHTHOUSES????? show us the stuff... you've been holding back. roy

Sep 17, 2007, 9:32 PM	#3
mtngal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Frazier Park, CA Posts: 16,177	Like your picture - especially since it got me to look up gulls in my western birdsfield guide. I know I've seen brown gulls before - apparently some gulls are brown when immature, and some of the larger types of gulls can take 4 years to reach their adult coloring, others fewer years. So you were probably being followed by a child bird hoping for a hand-out. Thanks for giving me the excuse to learn something new about birds.

Sep 17, 2007, 9:50 PM	#4
John Hill Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 400	I agree, if I saw that fellow on the beach around here I would think he was a juvenile gull. Odd thing is they look to be bigger in the brown plumage! Yes, lighthouse pictures please!:-)

Sep 17, 2007, 10:59 PM	#5
Black Knight Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oxford, CT Posts: 1,309	Roy Thanks For the Tip. I really tryed to get lower. But, most of this summer i have been fighting a Bad bacK. I am in therapy for it now. So getting any lower than i was Would not have been a good idea. Harriot Thanks for the kind words and for the identification. I thought it might be a Imature Gull, but i was not Sure. John Thanks for the kind Words. Since you asked i will try to post a few of what i think are my better lighthouses, later this week. Phil

Sep 18, 2007, 12:08 AM	#6
penolta Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California USA Posts: 5,206	Juvenile gulls can be tough to identify -Harriet is on the right track, but the wrong coast (as am I ).Based on its appearance and your location,a fair guess might be that it is a first year Herring Gull, but a side viewcould help to confirm it - do you have one to post from among the 30 pictures you took? Being unable to bend because of back spasms is a problem I can appreciate.If it matters enoughthere are several less than ideal - but still somewhat practical - things you could try when you have a cooperative subject like that hungry gull - you have seen how press photographers when in a crowd hold their cameras above their heads and fire off bursts hoping to get something useful; you could lower your camera to waist level or below, and with autofocus and a fairly wide angle and high enough resolution you couldget something useful by cropping a smallerimage out ofthe larger frame. If yours is a permanent disability (hopefully it is not), other things that could help are investing in a right-angle viewfinder that would get you a few inches lower, or a camera with a flip out LCD panel that you could hold at or below waist level. If all thisis too much of a bother :crazy:, juststick to the lighthouses - and show us some of your images!

Sep 19, 2007, 5:20 AM	#7
Gumnut Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,259	i liike the story that goes along with the photo it does look quite large some one needs to invent an inverted tripod with a shutter release not sure how to go aboiut seeing what you are taking maybe Dawg, or one of the other engineering types can come up with something

Sep 19, 2007, 6:09 AM	#8
nhmom Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Southern New Hampshire Posts: 5,202	Phil, What a sad story. It does sound like he was waiting for you to give him something. We have those same gulls up in Hampton, NH. At least that's what someone who's lived here their entire life told me they were. I'd never seen anything but the white ones either having grown up in California. Also, can fully understand the shot as taken. I've got arthiritis in my sacroiliac joints. The only way I could get that lower would be to lay on the ground on my side and then struggle getting back up. Patty