Ivory Gull
This bird of the Arctic Ocean pack ice has been my most
hoped for, rare, but not crazy-impossible, bird of the far north for many
years. So when one appeared in Duluth, Jack (my oldest son) and I were there
the next afternoon (2 January 2016). We saw the bird, and obtained photos, in
the fading light of late afternoon. I was back at Canal Park the next morning
(3 January 2016) before sunrise and watched and photographed this first cycle
bird for the next hour or so. Not the greatest light, but I had killer looks. An
immensely satisfying birding experience.
First view,
with a weird, Iceland (x ThayerŐs hybrid?) Gull in background.
Another view,
with the same weird hybrid(?) (note both birdsŐ wings are extended).
Another view,
close-up (alas, in bad light).
Another view,
flight shot.
Another view,
flight shot.
Another view,
view from behind.
Another view,
with Glaucous Gull (and Herring Gulls), giving good size comparisons.
It turns out that there were actually two Ivory Gulls in
Duluth (and Superior, Wisconsin) that weekend. The carcass of an Ivory Gull was
found on (something like) 5 January in Superior, while an actual living,
breathing Ivory Gull continued on at Canal Park for many days. Apparently, the
dead bird had no spotting on its forehead (i.e., it was pure white), while the
surviving bird had black spotting on its forehead. Clearly, the bird I
photographed on the third (i.e., the photos above) has spotting in the
forehead. On the other hand, here is a very
distant (and vastly crummy) shot I made of an Ivory Gull in the fleeting light
of the second. ItŐs hard to be certain, but it appears that the bird in this
photo has a clear white forehead. So perhaps it is the bird that was later
found dead in Superior.
