BirdingGirl

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Ivory Gull for myself since it was just half an hour away. I drove over to Plymouth Harbor around 9:30 this morning and was in luck--the gull was still there! I parked in the East Bay Grill parking lot since I had read some accounts online saying it had been seen there. Upon pulling into the parking lot I saw a couple walking to their car with tripod and camera bags in hand- I know this had to be the right spot. After parking I walked over to the boat launch where I had seen them walking from. Here's what I saw as I approached the harbor: When I arrived (around 10:00) the gull was hanging out on the breakwater/jetty. I heard a woman say it had been right there in the parking lot though earlier that morning, feasting on the chicken carcasses (which were still there- you can thank me for not taking a picture of those). Everyone was so friendly and very nice. I was talking to a bearded gentleman who was giving me the scoop on everythin...

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!