Western Gull and chicks

Have you ever seen gulls this young? Did you know they had speckles? These Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) chicks were hatched around Memorial Day on the roof of a downtown San Francisco building overlooking the San Francisco Bay and lovingly photographed by Eric Rosa.

All adults have white heads, dark gray back, pink legs (as opposed to the California Gull that has yellow legs and is also common in the San Francisco Bay region) and are stocky and heavy-billed. Breeding occurs from February through September.