Silver Gulls at Pt Lonsdale

The weather was cool and rainy today but a quick stop at the Pt Lonsdale lighthouse, while out running a few errands, proved fruitful despite there being very few birds around. Usually in bad weather at this time of the year the lighthouse is a good place to spot albatross, gannets and other seabirds flying around offshore. However, despite the frequent rain storms today, the wind was an unseasonable northerly and not very strong. In the 20 minutes I spent at the lighthouse between rain storms I did not see one bird offshore.

The lookout in front of the lighthouse does provide a great view west to The Bluff at Barwon Heads

The Bluff, Barwon Heads from Point Lonsdale

and east to the limestone cliffs and fortifications on Point Nepean.

Point Nepean from Point Lonsdale

Serendipity played its part though when for a brief few minutes a gap in the heavy cloud cover in the north allowed a diffused sunlight to pass through just as a pair of Silver Gulls landed on the cliff top in front of me. The light combined with the soft, out of focus sea behind the birds and their "modelling" display (they really did look like they were trying out poses for me to shoot), allowed me to capture this sequence in a few minutes before I had to retreat from another oncoming storm.

Silver Gull, Pt Lonsdale

These really are glorious birds when you find them away from car parks, rubbish dumps and fish'n'chip shops.