Seagulls in Arkansas?

A friend of mine, Carl, recently returned with his family from a vacation on the gulf coast. Like me, he too enjoys nature and we often talk about birds. He was telling me about the gulls on the coast and how unflinching these birds were when it came to human contact. His story reminded me of this flock of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) I photographed last winter on nearby Lake DeGray. There were at least a dozen of these gulls taking turns diving into the lake. I had remembered seeing a gull or two during the winter months before, but never this many at one time. It was quite a show. Apparently ring-billed gulls spend most of their time in and around bodies of freshwater as well as landfills, golf courses, farm fields, and parking lots. They guys are quite good at scavenging. According to the records ringed-billed gulls are not that uncommon in Arkansas, especially during the winter. Nevertheless, I always associate gulls with the ocean and it will always be a strange sight for me when I see a flock of these guys visiting our local lake.

another hawk

I had just been complaining about the lack of new birds for me to photograph when I looked up in this willow oak to see this red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) before it took flight. What had initially caught my attention was the mockingbirds and bluejays who were attaching this hawk. I can't wait for fall so we can catch some new species of birds flying through on their way south.