I was checking out the view from our cabin on the ship when I realized that across the way a bunch of birds were having a party on shore… according to the ever knowledgeable google, there is a Great Blue Heron hanging out among them — I will admit it was that tall, majestic bird that caught my eye as I was wondering if these were “new to me” birds, or birds I’m familiar with from home, and other parts of the world.

I asked Claude AI to help identify the birds from these two pictures…

The image shows two types of birds that I can identify:

1. A large gray bird standing on the shore, which appears to be a heron. Based on its size and coloration, it’s likely a Great Blue Heron.
2. Some smaller dark birds, which look like they could be crows or ravens, also on the shore near the heron.

Additionally, there’s a white shape visible in the water, which could potentially be another bird (perhaps a gull or swan), but it’s not clear enough in the image to identify with certainty.

The scene depicts a rocky shoreline with a body of water in the foreground. The heron and the dark birds are foraging along the water’s edge, which is typical behavior for these types of birds in such an environment.

That was the answer after one picture, I then added the picture with three presumably Sea Gulls and asked: This is a second picture taken at the same time in Sydney, Nova Scotia, does that help identify the birds?

Thank you for providing the additional context and image. This new information and image indeed helps in identifying the birds more accurately:

1. The large gray bird on the shore is still likely a Great Blue Heron, which is common in Nova Scotia.
2. The smaller dark birds on the shore are most likely American Crows, which are very common in Nova Scotia.
3. The white birds in the water, which are more clearly visible in this image, appear to be gulls. Given the location in Nova Scotia, these are likely Herring Gulls or Ring-billed Gulls, both of which are common in the area.

The location in Sydney, Nova Scotia, helps confirm these identifications as all these species are native to and commonly found in that region. The rocky shoreline and the mix of fresh and saltwater birds is typical of the coastal areas in Nova Scotia.

This image provides a clearer view of the entire scene, showing the rocky beach, the vegetation on the shore, and the water with the gulls, giving a more complete picture of the habitat these birds are in.