This is another one of our pictures that we took while we where on holiday in Menorca this year. The Audouin's Gull was one of the best birding experiences that I have had yet. Such as rarity and one that would be a bird lovers dream to see.
We went for a walk to Fornells, and this one bird was sitting on its own on the rocks cliff edge close to the sea. The view we see in the background is Fornells Bay opening out into the Mediterranean Sea.
On this particular day the wind was very blustery, and this made it hard to walk upright. The sea was very unsettled indeed, and size of some of the waves made the sea look very frightening. The Mediterranean wind is not cold at all - just very strong on some days.
The Audouin's Gull numbers has been on the decline fro years. It has been thought that it was close to extinction. We where lucky to see two of them (unless it was the same one in the same area). They have the most attractive beak. It appears to be multi coloured, and this is the feature that distinguishes it from other Gulls. So it is easy to see beak feature, that the other Gull species do not have.
Compared with the Yellow Legged gull, the Audouin's Gull is a lot more vulnerable, and has not taken on the eating habits of the Yellow Legged Gull. So it is still eating fish and that is its main diet. It is a lot more affected by 'ecological' changes, and does not adapt so well like the Yellow Legged Gull.
Im only a little bit jealous honest! Its made for a nice wee read too, thanks for that. One day maybe!!