Gulls (1)

The cats being locked in doors now have taken up watching sea gulls.

There are three gulls commonly found in Alaska

glaucous-winged gull, raven size, pink legs, yellow bills with red dot  gray wing tips

glaucous gull,  The Glaucous Gulls are very pale in all plumage, with a white head and underparts. The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible. The back and wings are light gray with no black in the wings or tail. A juvenile Glaucous gull will have light gray and brown coloration. The Glaucous Gull is a “four-year gull,” in that it takes four years to reach adult plumage.

The Glaucous is one of the most predatory gulls, capturing and eating ptarmigans, small ducks

 and birds as well as fish.

and

herring gull, raven size, pink legs and yellow bill with red dot, jet black wing tips.  These gulls are closely related and hybrids between the three are not uncommon

Herring Gulls feed mostly on natural prey such as marine fish, especially the herring although the diet varies considerably with season and location. In addition to marine life, Herring Gulls also eat other birds, eggs and garbage

Adults are commonly white and juveniles are grey