After dropping my son at school, I spent 30-minutes at Sharq Harbour, which is the best time of day with respect to available light. Unfortunately no large white-headed Gulls were to be found, most were far out in the Gulf sitting on the sea waiting for the Dhows to come in to the harbour.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the time I had photographing the smaller Gulls and Terns that were foraging in and outside the harbour.
The majority were made up of Common Black-headed Gulls in a variety of plumage types that have arrived in big numbers for the winter.
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| Wintering Common Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) |
Only one Slender-billed Gull was seen amongst the Black-headed
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| 1cy Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei) |
Sandwich Terns were foraging up and down the coast, a few with deformed beaks (or are they 'growing and moulting'?). Getting an image of one of these Terns in a vertical dive is a challenge with a big heavy piece of glass, but I was able to capture one, just before it hit the surface.
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| Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) |
Plentiful food is available for both Gulls and Terns, but these schools normally stay very close to the shoreline for safety.
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| Abundant food supply |
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