Thank you for the notice and the background on this bird!
From: Jason Caddy
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2016 4:13 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Ivory Gull- General Information and Sighting Significance.
I agree with Jesse that there needs to be more information given on the Ivory
Gull. I drove up to Duluth this morning and there had been nothing posted about
the bird since 3:00 the previous day. However, when I arrived in Canal Park
there were 30 or more observers looking at the bird with more arriving and
leaving all of the time. I was elated to see the bird but confused that no one
had posted anything about it to MOU for so long. I would like to give a bit of
general information about the species for those birders who are not totally
familiar with the Ivory Gull.
Ivory Gulls are one of the very few purely arctic species of birds and are very
closely associated to pack ice in all but the breeding season. Ivory gulls
often associate with Polar Bears and, like them, are very susceptible to
changes in climate. Ivory Gulls breed in scattered colonies through the arctic
and have been studied at breeding sites. The overall number of individuals has
recently been estimated between 16,000-28,000, a very small number for a gull
species, and the species is thought to be declining rapidly at its Canada, and
possibly Greenland, breeding sites according to surveys. The birds face a
surprisingly high number of threats given their northerly range and are
actually hunted on their breeding grounds. Studies on the eggs show very high
concentrations of mercury in Ivory Gulls, some of the highest among seabirds.
Ivory Gulls are the sole member of the Genus Pagophila and are considered by
some to be intermediate between gulls and skuas.
Most birds that are seen in Minnesota that are reported as rare are rare for
our state but easily found in other locations in the United States. This is not
the case for the Ivory Gull, which is very difficult to find in the Lower 48.
When it is located it is usually found on the Great Lakes or coastal New
England in the winter (but not every winter) and is very rarely recorded on the
Pacific Coast outside of Alaska.
Because of all of these factors the Ivory Gull was my number one most wanted
bird in Minnesota. The experience of seeing this individual was unforgettable
as it flew and landed several times to the great delight to all of the
observers. The beauty of this juvenile birds is second to none and the
photographs don't at all do it justice. If anyone is contemplating going to
Duluth to see the bird I would highly recommend the experience!
Happy New Years,
Jason Caddy
Minneapolis
j.ca...@hotmail.com
Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
