European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argenteus)

A great profile closeup of this Herring Gull John!

A very handsome chap! Fabulously detailed portrait.

nicely posing for you indeed, John, and a great photo, love it, many tfs!!

PS: I didn't realise that goshawks were that rare in the UK, although I must admit that you don't see them here everyday neither.

With an eye that won't miss a thing when it comes to food,great image,John.

bievreJJ said:

nicely posing for you indeed, John, and a great photo, love it, many tfs!!

PS: I didn't realise that goshawks were that rare in the UK, although I must admit that you don't see them here everyday neither.

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Thanks for your comment JJ! Re Goshawks, their behaviour in Britain is very different from on continental Europe. There are 280-430 pairs, breeding in the New Forest and parts of Scotland and Wales, and they are no longer endangered, but remain notoriously elusive birds. To quote BirdGuides: "Most birders probably have a mental list of their favourite birds but, if they had an equivalent one for their most frustrating, I bet Goshawk Accipiter gentilis would feature quite highly. Despite the fact that it has increased significantly in Britain in recent years, it remains difficult to see, even more difficult to see well and, perhaps most relevant of all, difficult to get past your local records committee. Not only that but, of all the species on the British List, Goshawk is probably one of the most frequently ‘strung’."

("Stringing" is a British twitcher's term for claiming to have seen a rare species when it was actually a common one. So, an awful lot of "Goshawk" sightings were really Sparrowhawks! Beginners are always seeing "Goshawks" which aren't.)

thanks a lot for this interesting information, John, good to learn that their numbers are slowly increasing. Interesting also what is mentioned about the confusion with sparrowhawk, personally I think the jizz of these two raptors is quite different both in terms of shape and flight action, but I must admit that I had a very good mentor when I started birdwatching, he was a real raptor specialist, I learned a lot from him.

Brilliant Image Standing Perfect For You John, Well Done Tfs!!!!!
All The Best
Sue & Simon,

A wonderfully detailed profile portrait, John.

Terrific camera view of this handsome gull. Excellent work John!

Lovely find and shot!