Another Monday has arrived, bringing the combined package of hopes, joy and “blues”. Let’s hope to delete some of those blues, shall we?
Photograph
Where
Roskilde, Denmark.
The city is located at the South End of a long and deep Roskilde Fjord in Denmark’s Zealand Island and used to be an important Viking Maritime hub. Roskilde served as the Capital of Denmark from c. 1020 CE to c. 1447 CE. The elevation of the status of Roskilde was done by none other than the legendary King Canute – The King of the North Sea Empire comprising Denmark, Norway and England. This picturesque and relatively undiscovered place is a treasure house of Historical events and rulers – some of which heavily influenced Major Global events back then.
What
As I have said earlier, I found Danish people to be very nice, helpful and friendly who would go the extra mile to help you out if you are genuinely stuck somewhere.
This particular bird paid a visit to my table when I was waiting for my food to arrive outside a small restaurant in Roskilde. It was so nice of this bird to pose for me to allow me to take a few pictures, slowly hopping towards me.
And suddenly I heard the deafening, shrill, clarion cry which made me drop my camera and close my ears..!!
Damn..!! So cacophonous and harsh..!! I wished to ask the bird what wrong did I do??
Maybe it was being friendly. But my ears were dead against this “friendship”. I couldn’t disobey those poor organs of mine who were at the receiving end of this ceremony of “greetings”. So I went inside the restaurant.
Turns out that this cute bird was Black Headed Gull (Scientific Name: Chroicocephalus ridibundus). Black Headed Gulls are found mainly along the coasts of Western Europe and North America. Their heads however turn white during the winters. The bird feeds on insects, small fish, seeds, worms, etc. The black headed gull is a bit noisy, which might explain it’s characteristic “welcome” sound.
Update – 1:
As per Ms. Beate Gütl (https://linienspiel.wordpress.com/), the bird shown here is actually the Laughing Gull (Scientific name: Leucophaeus atricilla) or Lachmöwe in German. In my opinion, though the plumage of both the black headed gull and laughing gull are quite similar and prone to confusion, I didn’t find the bird in the picture to be laughing ever. The cry was extremely shrill and discordant. The winter plumage of the laughing gull is also white. Thank you for the update..!!
Update – 2:
Ms. Brigitte (https://sjffbb.wordpress.com/) confirms the bird to be Lachmöwe or the Laughing Gull. She explains that German name “Lachmöwe” and the Scientific name “Larus ridibundus” of the Black-headed Gull seems to be derived from the American Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla), which got at first its name from Brisson after its voice, and was at first united with the Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus). Thank you for the explanation and it clears some of the confusion regarding the names and voices of the Lachmöwe..!!
Do you know the exact name of the bird in the picture? Let me know in the comments below so that the same may be updated..
When
The picture was taken in June 2019 CE
Equipment
Nokia 6.1 Mobile Phone Camera
Hope you liked this black headed gull and are intrigued by this one.
The sightings of birds and plants in their natural environment is quite fascinating. Perhaps, every creature has a role to play in the complex ecosystem of a place. One need not always go to the biggies to search for such unique beauties.
Looking forward to interacting more with you and “Make Mondays un-mundane”..
Cheers..!!
© Abirbhav Mukherjee. All the pictures / videos posted in this article are my own unless otherwise mentioned.
A Quest for the Uncliche 
What a memory to remember. I heard a while ago that we are made of tiny memories strung together. Nice Anecdote.
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Thank you once again Madam.. 😊😊
You heard it right. When it comes to traveling, I can feel the veracity of this statement. These small observations or events make our entire travel experience worth cherishing..!!
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So true .
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Your posts are so informative sir🤩.
Just love ur work
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Thank you so much Madam for your enthusiastic comments and appreciation.. ☺️☺️
I am glad you loved it.. ☺️☺️
Hope you share your reviews for the other articles under this series.. Hope that you find those equally good.. ☺️
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Yes, it is a “Lachmöwe”
qoute”Summary. The German name “Lachmöwe” and the scientific name “Larus ridibundus” as well of the Black-headed Gull seems to be deriven from the american Laughing Gull(Larus atricilla), which got at first its name fromBrisson after its voice, and was at first united with the Black-headed Gull(Larus ridibundus).”quote end
Great images and good infos!
Greetings from Germany
Brigitte
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Thank you so much Madam for such great insights..!! 😊😊
It’s so great to learn from comments about things which I don’t know.. That’s why I find them rewarding.. 😊😊
Thank you so much Madam for taking the time to explain in such great detail. I am adding the correction suggested by you.. 😊😊
Greetings to you and your family from India..!!
Stay safe.. 😊😊
Abir
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Beautiful bird and beautiful post. Looking forward to visiting Denmark all these articles would serve as a great source of information. 😇
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Thank you so much Angira for your lovely comments.. 🙂 ❤
The bird is indeed beautiful (except it's cry) and Denmark is beautiful in totality. Whether or not you are a Chionophile, Denmark should always be on your radar.. 🙂 🙂
Hope you visit soon..!! Thank you once again and hope the posts help.. 🙂
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This is really beautiful ❤
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Thank you so much Madam for your visit and appreciation.. 😊😊
Glad you liked it..!!
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The gulls there are as common as pigeon here! They are sometime troublemaker as well 😂 I too wish to visit some part of Europe in future! Thank you for sharing!
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Maybe you are right Madam.. I saw gulls in several coastal towns over there in Europe.. Can’t say about the part on trouble-maker though, but yes, I hate pigeons, because they are invasive and extremely filthy. No bird I saw in my life is as invasive and filthy as pigeon.
You are most welcome Madam.. 🙂 🙂 Hope you visit Europe and see some of these gulls yourself.. 🙂
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I find the linking of a personal anecdote into an informative report very successful.
By the way: the name of this bird means” Lachmöwe” (“laughing gull”) in my mother tongue German. 😊😊
I wish you a good time! ⭐🌱🌷
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Thank you so much Madam for your visit and your kind words.. 😊😊
Well, I did check the section on laughing gulls as well, but it’s voice was not at all close to any “laughter”.. 😂😂
Anyways, shall include this update as well.. 😊😊
Thank you once again Madam.. 😊😊 Have a great week..!!
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Your suggestion has been incorporated.. Thank you so much Madam for the comments.. 😊😊 As I said, it helps us learn a bit more.. 😊😊
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Europe is a beautiful place to visit. I look forward to visit this place in future when things turn up well.
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Sure Madam.. This place is indeed amazing.. ☺️☺️ Hope you visit soon..
Thank you so much Madam for your visit and comments.. ☺️☺️
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Yeah, I will definitely in future….
My pleasure
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