Kittiwakes and a Gull
Of all the species we observed in Alaska, the black-legged kittiwakes were among my favorite to watch, especially in the context of being around feeding Steller sea lions. The kittiwakes are intense birds, with single-minded focus in pursuing salmon scraps. When the possibility of scavenging arises, they aggressively flock toward the action with their mouths open. In our hours of watching the sea lions, the kittiwake cacophony (link to iPhone video) was the constant soundtrack. Photo © copyright by Sarah Marino and Ron Coscorrosa.