<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Portraits of Wildflowers]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Steve Schwartzman]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/author/wordconnections/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Winging our way out of&nbsp;2016]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="33060" data-permalink="https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2016/12/31/winging-our-way-out-of-2016/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-0272/" data-orig-file="https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg" data-orig-size="900,555" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Steven Schwartzman&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5DS R&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1478229072&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\u00a9 Steven Schwartzman&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;169&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-0272" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg?w=900" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-33060" src="https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=632" alt="western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-0272" srcset="https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg 900w, https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg?w=150&amp;h=93 150w, https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg?w=300&amp;h=185 300w, https://portraitsofwildflowers.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/western-gull-at-pacific-ocean-sunset-02721.jpg?w=768&amp;h=474 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px"   /></a></p>
<p>As we go winging our way out of 2016, here&#8217;s a symbol of that from November 3rd at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery in San Simeon, California. I take the bird to be a western gull, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_gull" target="_blank"><em>Larus occidentalis</em></a><em>.</em></p>
<p>© 2016 Steven Schwartzman</p>
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