Gulls are fun...

[MN Shutterbug]

but the wild ones around here are a real challenge. I just couldn't get a real close shot on any. These are all cropped down to about 1/3 of what I started with. I do have to say, bald eagles are easier targets. As you can see, none of them were actually heading my way. It was more like pass shooting. I'll give it another shot, when the snow drifts are gone from the road to the lake. I should be able to get closer then. It was definitely good practice. Thanks Steve, for the inspiration.

[fishinchicks]

The 3rd one looks really nice.

[Birdsong]

Nice. You must have forgotten the popcorn! Our gulls are not used to pestering for food as the Duluth gulls are.

[finnbay]

Good start, X!

[Steve Foss]

Nice work, Mike. Now you just gotta train them to take popcorn from your hand like they do in Duluth. Soon it'll be X-Tackleman, the Gull Whisperer.

[finnbay]

Quote:

Now you just gotta train them to take popcorn from your hand like they do in Duluth

Or garbage from the backs of pickups, like the ravens do in Ely.

[MN Shutterbug]

Quote:

Now you just gotta train them to take popcorn from your hand like they do in Duluth

Or garbage from the backs of pickups, like the ravens do in Ely.

Or stealing food from the dog's dish, like Gray Jays do. This happened to me when I was camping along the Kawishiwi River several years ago, with my springer. She was constantly chasing them away from her food dish, then finally gave up and laid down. It was quite humorous.

[finnbay]

Quote:

She was wide of beam and short, just like a jackpine stump. The boys all flocked around her like the seagulls at the dump

Da Yoopers

Sorry. Just popped into my head.

[Steve Foss]

When I lived way up in the mountains in Colorado, the Stellar jays and Clark's nutcrackers would constantly get into the shed through pine knot gaps in the boards and steal dog food. I was always on the kids to keep the lid on it, because it's just amazing how much dog food a dozen hungry birds can go through.

I had a great time with those birds around, and the kids never remembered the lid, so finally I brought the good dog food into the basement and occasionally bought the el cheapo Old Roy WalMart stuff for about $10/50lb bag for the birds. The birds were happy, my dogs were happy, my kids were happy.

I love those gray jays. I just dumped the remains of deer parts/ribcages saved this winter out in the woods and of course it was the gray jays that found it first. Gotta like a bird that is so handsome and will hop up on your foot and eat food off it.