"Japanese Black Tailed Gull"

Today I pay homage to my kayak's name sake -The Gull! There's a new kid in town. His name is Black Tailed Gull. 

He came to St. John's arriving at our harbour bubble, (that is another story) in the month of December. He hasn't left. He is quite rare and is causing quite a stir locally. He has  very distinctive red markings on his beak and is quite a sight. Apparently this gull has a cry like a cat which I've yet to hear. The red markings I've read on the bill are for their young. They tap on these quite visible spots to signal the mother to regurgitate so they can feed. Oh yummy yum!

I shot these photos at Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's where he likes to reside periodically, as the locals like to feed the birds of this area. He is quite distinguished looking.

Long live the Black Tail and safe trips in my Nordkapp named Gullfeather.