The Gull

Herring Gull Drawing by Trudy Smoke

While I sat on the beach in East Hampton, a handsome Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, flew close by and stopped about two feet in front of me.  The gull glanced toward me and maybe hoped for food, but when none was forthcoming stayed put, seemingly without a care in the world.  I stared at his form and thought about the careful looking that went into drawing this bird for the Field Guide: the hooked beak, the webbed feet, the spots on the tail, the yellow eyes, the way the feathers fold into each other to form the wings.  I am in awe looking at the real thing and thinking about the page and the process.