Black headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) on frozen lake, Lancashire, UK Black headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) on frozen lake. Hard winters makes life hard for all birds. Access to fresh water is difficult a most is frozen. With fresh water and the ground frozen making it difficult to find food and bath. In this image the BHG is numerous but are joined by many other birds. Sticking to the only opening in the ice to fresh water it offers some security and access to water to bath, which keeps the feathers in good condition. Common visitor to the garden. Adaptation into urban areas appears to date only to the 'Little Ice-Age', a run of cold-winters in the 1880s and 1890s. Factory workers would feed the birds scraps during their lunch hours.
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Black headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) on frozen lake_GUFP1960RM.tiff
