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Ivory Gull Spotted in Plymouth

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I just read a news update on the Cape Cod Times Website that a rare Ivory Gull has been spotted in both Plymouth and Gloucester, MA. What I found most interesting:

  • According to Cape bird expert Vernon Laux, this might be one of the first adults spotted in Massachusetts since the 1880s.

  • A man drove 6 hours form Pennsylvania just to catch a glimpse of it

  • As you can see in the CapeCast video, birders were able to get extremely close to it as it ate a chicken carcass provided for the bird.

  • Apparently ivory gulls scavenge (often what polar bears leave behind) rather than hunt and forage themselves

Click on this image to read the Cape Cod Times article.

Click on this image to launch the CapeCast video at YouTube.com. It's a must see!

I'm always hopeful that I'll spot some type of rare gull in the wintertime, but as of yet all I've ID-d are Ring-billed Gulls like this one in Colorado:

Maybe I should make a trip to Plymouth and test my luck!
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Comments

Anonymous said…
My daughter just left Plymouth Harbor where the Times reported the sighting and teh gull wasn;t in sight
January 23, 2009 at 10:49:00 AM PST
Dawn Fine said…
Oh you should go for sure...you are soo close.
January 23, 2009 at 5:00:00 PM PST
Cathleen Voss said…
@ Dawn- thanks for the vote in favor of going! I might just do it since I'm so close and if it's not there I can visit my cousins who live in Plymouth so it's not a wasted trip.
January 23, 2009 at 5:37:00 PM PST
Anonymous said…
Read the Cape Cod Times article.

I just hope it survives all the attention and does not meet the fate of the Snowy Owl (I forgot where), which so many people visited the area it became so tired a hawk had it for lunch.

Great news however!
January 23, 2009 at 8:44:00 PM PST
Cathleen Voss said…
@Andy- oh my gosh! That's so sad. I hope that doesn't happen in this case. I was surprised though that people were able to get so close to it, as seen in the video.
January 24, 2009 at 6:12:00 AM PST
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