Bonaparte’s Gull

After leaving Texas in March, we raced across our old stomping grounds in southern Louisiana. Our goal this day was Covington, Louisiana, and, along the way, we wished to visit Avery Island, famous for their gardens and for being the home of Tabasco Sauce. The McIlhenny family subsidized many of our graduate expeditions to Peru during our years as graduate students at LSU.

Our coastal route required several short ferry crossings. At one of these ferries, we were followed by a small flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls. These birds are among the smallest of North American gulls. Despite their being common, I had only once previously photographed one. Small fish make up the bulk of their diet, and here they were attracted to fish and small invertebrates caught in the ferry’s wake. These are basic (winter) plumaged birds. Later they will sport black heads. In all plumages, they can be recognized by the long, white triangles on their outer wings.