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Kelp gull; Chilean name Gaviota dominicana        Images © Mark A. Chappell

I have seen this circumpolar species on three continents: Australia, Antarctica, and southern South America (where I took most of these photos), and in New Zealand.   It is a typical large gull, with a dark back, white underside, and yellow bill with a red spot.   With one exception, these adults were photographed near Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, both coastal towns in southern Chile, and in Valdivia, about 1000 km to the north.   The pair of kelp gulls at upper right and the bird in the bottom image were in a small estuary in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

  • Canon 1D3 or 40D, 70-200 f4 IS zoom or 500 mm f4 IS lens plus 1.4X or 2X converter, some with fill-in flash (2009)