If you were to talk to anyone around here and they were to mention a “seagull”, chances are it was a herring gull. Despite there being eight different gull species on this list, I have only ever heard them referred to as a “seagull”. It was not until after I made the trip to the coast in December 2022 that I looked up the different species in order to identify what I had photographed. The herring gull is by far the most common of the gulls found in New Hampshire and one does not have to look too hard - even in December - to find one.

Although they are part and parcel to the New Hampshire beach going experience, they can also found further inland. Voracious scavengers, they are a common sight at town dumpsites and perched atop grocery store parking light poles.

The herring gull has an interesting plumage cycle. Unlike many species that quickly go from their juvenile to adult feathers and then possibly varying seasonal changes, the herring gull goes through four years of changes before attaining their adult feathers. This results in a species with potentially thousands of “looks” that may be one of the reasons they are simply referred to as “seagulls”.