Greyheaded Gull

While on holiday recently, Rina and I spent a good couple of days on the beach.  While Rina plodged in the waves, I sat on the sand with my camera at the ready. 

The most birds on the beach were Grey-headed Gulls. (there were a couple of plovers but I'm still looking for their definite identification before posting.) 

I first captured an adult gull sitting quite close to me on the sand...

Grey-headed Gull (breeding adult)

Nearby was a non-breeding (or juvenile) adult which defended its territory with vigor! 

Then as I pointed and focused and snapped I captured several interesting interactions between the non-breeding (young) adult and the breeding adult right in front of me! Soon several other gulls appeared - whether to watch the altercations or not, I'm not sure. 

 Then the first non-breeding adult dive bombed another non-breeding adult which had found a morsel of food on the sand

A breeding adult gives chase while the first  two non-breeding adult take flight; another gull swoops in from the north!

The original juvenile made a turn and came back to chase his pursuer away from its patch

 The victor swoops down and grabs a tidbit that I'd thrown for it

 Meanwhile another breeding adult flew over me 

Don't you just love the way it cocks its head?

The first non-breeding adult scoops another morsel on the sand, the second non-breeding adult in hot pursuit while the breeding adult dives down to see what it could glean

Time for a short rest

And then a determined step before taking off into the air again

The breeding adult flies in ...

... but decides to fly past me

While the territorial non-breeding adult came straight for me! 

I'm linking my post to Wild Bird Wednesday hosted by Stewart Monckton here

Happy Wednesday to you all!