Bucket List Bird: Baby Seagulls (And the Wildlife Win I Didn't Know I Needed) - July 22, 2026

Sometimes the best wildlife encounters begin with someone sharing a secret.

Another photographer had told me about a marina where baby seagulls had recently hatched. I tucked the location away, hoping I'd have the chance to visit before the chicks grew up. Despite the forecast calling for a blistering 32°C day, I grabbed my camera and headed out, determined to see them for myself.

At first, I thought I'd been given bad information.

I scanned every rooftop, piling, and dock I could see. Nothing. I changed positions. Still nothing. The heat was relentless, the kind that makes you question why you're carrying a camera instead of sitting somewhere with air conditioning and an iced coffee. I was moments away from admitting defeat when I turned ever so slightly and looked at one marina roof from just the right angle.

Boom.

There they were.

Baby seagulls. I mean, look at that face? How can you not fall in love with that face?

Can I just say that nobody prepared me for what baby seagulls actually look like?

In my mind, I had imagined tiny versions of adult gulls. Instead, I found fluffy little grey cotton balls covered in black spots. They looked like miniature feathered leopards or perhaps someone crossed a baby owl with a stuffed toy. Their soft down gives them incredible camouflage, which explains why I couldn't spot them at first. Nature really knew what it was doing.

One little chick completely stole my heart. The nest itself was surprisingly well built, made from grasses, seaweed, feathers, and bits of vegetation gathered by its parents. Several adults stood watch nearby, keeping a careful eye on their newest family member. The little one stood just outside the nest beside one of its parents and every few moments it would stretch its neck, open its tiny beak as wide as it could...

...and absolutely nothing came out.

It would close its mouth, pause as though it was thinking things over, then try again.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Was it simply too hot to make any noise? Was it practicing its future seagull scream? Was it silently demanding food? Whatever the reason, it looked like the world's cutest rehearsal.

Until that moment, I'd only ever photographed juvenile seagulls, the awkward teenagers with patchy feathers who haven't quite grown into themselves yet. This was my first time seeing true babies, and I was completely enchanted. Every wildlife photographer has a mental bucket list, and baby seagulls had just earned a checkmark on mine.

A few fun facts made the experience even more special. Baby gulls are born with that beautifully spotted down to help them blend into their surroundings, making them much harder for predators to find. Both parents share the work of feeding and protecting the chicks, and they don't hesitate to defend their young if they feel they're threatened. Looking at the attentive adults surrounding the nest, it was easy to see just how devoted they were.

The timing of this encounter couldn't have been better.

Life lately has been...busy. I'm in the middle of moving, surrounded by boxes, endless to-do lists, and all the little stresses that come with major life changes. My camera has always been the thing that helps me slow down, and on this day I desperately needed a wildlife win.

These little seagulls gave me exactly that.

As I watched that tiny chick repeatedly opening its mouth—even though no sound came out, I found myself wondering if it was trying to discover its own voice. Maybe that's exactly what growing up looks like. You practice before you're ready. You try again, even when nothing seems to happen. You don't wait until you're perfect before taking the next step.

It felt like one of those quiet lessons nature has a way of offering when we're paying attention.

Sometimes we're standing at the edge of the nest ourselves. Life feels uncertain. We're learning new things, finding our footing, wondering whether we're ready for whatever comes next. But every confident flyer begins as a fluffy little bird taking its first uncertain steps. Growth isn't loud. Sometimes it's simply showing up, trying again, and trusting that your voice and your wings will come in time.

I left the marina that afternoon with a full memory card, a huge smile, and one more bird crossed off my bucket list. More importantly, I left reminded that joy often arrives just after we're ready to give up looking.

Maybe that's why I love wildlife photography so much.

It reminds me that wonder is almost always waiting just around the corner...or, in this case, on a marina roof viewed from exactly the right angle.

Nature always gives us the lesson we need, exactly when we need it. This day, it arrived disguised as a tiny, spotted seagull with a silent voice and a very big message.