Friday, July 27, 2012

Bird Island?

What are these birds squawking at?
I visited Alcatraz Island yesterday and discovered it has turned into a bird island. It must be breeding season because there were seagulls and seagull chicks everywhere. Perhaps this was how the Birdman of Alcatraz started.


Here is the answer to the question...
The juvenile seagulls were hungry and screaming at momma or papa for food.
I read that for seagulls, both parents feed their offsprings.


This is a younger seagull than the previous bunch.
You can still see the spots from the baby chick stage.


Many think seagulls are a nuisance, but have you ever seen cute seagull chicks?


The Brandt Cormorants own this part of Alcatraz Island.
You can see the San Francisco skyline in the distance.


- Karen


16 comments:

rainfield61 said...

We look for papa and mama when we are hungry.

roentare said...

The first shot is outstanding shot. The perspective is really beyond and far ahead.

Like the unique arrangement of elements in the photo.

Really great shots :)

Joanne Olivieri said...

Great shots and adorable little chicks. The entire city has become bird island these days. Not sure why, but I love it. I also love seagulls, they are so majestic and beautiful. I enjoyed your post.

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

Adorable. No I don't believe I ever have seen a baby seagull. Perfect place for them on Alcatraz, they know they are safe. Trust you had a great day on the island.

eastcoastlife said...

Cool! A visit to Alcatraz. I will be going to Washington this November. Hope I could spend some time to visit some interesting places.

Arti said...

They look very pretty!! Saw many sea gulls when I visited Varanasi in India...

Anonymous said...

Great photos, the seagulls here in Llandudno are exceptionally aggressive and frequently swoop down on people to snatch food from their unsuspecting hands!

FilipBlog said...

Hope to see also your other Alcatraz pictures. It is one of the most interesting visits I did in San Francisco.

Greetings,
Filip

Rachel Cotterill said...

I love those gorgeous chicks. Hope you enjoyed the whole of your visit :)

Jidhu Jose said...

lovely birds

betchai said...

those are very cute pictures of the baby sea gulls, yes, I saw sea gull chicks and they are so cute to observe.

AVCr8teur said...

Rainfield61: Either human or bird, we look for mama and papa to feed us when we were young.

James: Thanks for the critique. It helps when the surroundings were unique and interesting.

Poetic Shutterbug: I wonder if the seagulls come here to mate every season. When I was here 4 years ago in January, I did not get a chance to see this.

La Principessa Errante: It was a great day weather-wise too. You are right about the seagulls staying on the island and being protected.

EastCoastLife: I hope you have scheduled lots of time in D.C. because there is lots to see.

Arti: I guess seagulls are everywhere and are not restricted to certain locations.

llandudnopictures: I have seen aggressive seagulls myself stealing food. But in this case, they are busy protecting their young.

Filip and Kristel: Ask and you shall receive. I have posted more photos of my trip. I agree that Alcatraz should be on everyone's agenda when visiting San Francisco. Just remember to order your tickets online because they sell out fast.

Rachel: Yes, very educational even the 2nd time around. However, parts of the island is going through renovations so I saw less than I did 4 years ago.

Jidhu Jose: Adult seagulls are everywhere here by the bay, so it's nice to see them at different stages of growth.

betchai: It's hard to believe the spotted chicks grow into seagulls because they look so different as adults.

Jana said...

ao adorable the third pic of the little one...

lina said...

How lucky you are to be able to witness it. Cute chicks. :)

fiziskandarz said...

Due to geographical constraint, we don't think we'll visiting the prison anytime soon so thank you very much for sharing these awesome entry + pictures!

eileeninmd said...

Oh wow, the seagull chicks are just too cute. Great shots.