The fifth full day of our bird trip was devoted to one of the ports of Greater Los Angeles and a boat trip to the island of Santa Cruz. The first species we saw when we landed was this Heermann's gull with its characteristic white head and red bill with a black tip. This species lives on the west coast of America, from Vancouver in the north to central Mexico in the south. 90% nest on Isla Rasa outside of Baja California and move north and south during non-breeding seasons. The limited nesting area for the majority of the gulls has resulted in the species being described as "near threatened" because of the fact that a single natural disaster can cause the whole species severe loss.