For two days of our trip to Canada we went across the border into Minnesota to drive along the north shore of Lake Superior. One stop along the way was the town of Grand Marais which was a really nice spot with a harbour protecting the town and the boats from the extremes of the lake.
I like the lighthouse on the end of the harbour wall and even though it was a calm day you can't underestimate the importance of the lighthouse because the lake can be treacherous and many ships have been sunk after crashing against the rocks along the shore.
I shot this scene in colour and in black and white. It was an overcast day with not a lot of strong colour so I thought that it would work well as a black and white image. I like both images but I think I prefer the colour image because it has a warmth about it.
Sitting on the harbour wall at New Quay I enjoyed watching some of the gulls stretching their wings and taking to the air.
Today's images show a couple of juvenile lesser black backed gulls, the first being a year old and the second I think is two years old as can be deduced from their mottled plumage.
They're awesome flyers using the least possible energy as they loop and soar in search of food. In this particular spot they find rich pickings in the scraps from visitors.
I live the second shot, particularly the curve of the wing.
A variation on yesterday's theme here is another shot of the harbour at sunrise but today I have a fishing party heading out to Lake Superior, perhaps on the hunt for some nice fresh Pickerel.
The guys on the boat were aware that I was taking the shot, I am not too sure they were that pleased but I think it makes a good picture and I wished them well on their way.
So there I was sat on the harbour wall at New Quay, watching the dolphins in the bay and eating a delicious pastie and soaking up the early afternoon sun when along came this beautiful Herring Gull. Quite clearly it was looking for scraps and its friend not quite so bold hung back a little waiting to see if it was worth getting a little closer.
Although these birds are quite common and known for scavenging food from tourists there is something quite regal about them and I think the first and last of today's pictures show this in the gull's pose.
They can make a pretty fearsome noise too and as I focused trying to get a nice close up shot this chap started to screech really loudly. The second and third shots were taken seconds apart as the bird was mid screech. I have slightly cropped the second picture so it is possible to clearly see the speckled eye and the detail around the eye and inside its' mouth. I am really pleased with this particular shot and it shows that even something that may seem common and uninteresting is actually quite beautiful.
I didn't think I would get to post anything today but here I am with just one picture of a very proud looking Herring Gull who was waiting for scraps. I'll be honest he didn't get any from me.
The picture was taken using my smart phone and although it's not a bad shot I did get some better images with my camera, I just haven't connected my phone to the camera to upload it, so you will have to wait for them.
