California Gull

The Oregon Coast is about 2 hours west of here.  Quite often I see seagulls flying around here.  A big, white bird with a wide wing span   gracefully swishes over my head, but for a camera lens, it is very difficult  to focus on a flying object instantly.

Today the sun was out early in the morning without any fog.  As I spotted a big seagull, I first focused on a nearby tall tree as the bird was heading towards my direction. 

"Here I come."

 

When identifying the bird, I first checked my bird book and limited my choice to three possibilities of seagulls who could be around this region: 

1)  California Gull (a yellow bill with black and red spots)

2)  Thayer's Gull (a yellow bill with dark red spot)

3)  Glaucous-winged Gull (yellow eyes)

I read the descriptions on each bird and I concluded the bird must be a California Gull because it has a yellow bill with black and red spots.  If someone knows more about gulls and thinks otherwise, please let me know.

"Am I a California Gull or not?  Maybe.  I hope so."