A Ring-billed Gull on patrol

My Saturday Bird this week is a breeding plumage Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) patrolling the Lake Huron shoreline in Southampton, Ontario. It’s flying up and down the shoreline looking for anything edible being washed up on the sand.

Outside the breeding season adult birds have variable amounts of grey in the feathers on the head and neck. Although it’s a North American species some birds regularly wander to Western Europe with a few spending the winters in Britain and Ireland.