Rare appearance of ivory gull is a stirring event in Duluth

A bird that normally makes its home in the Arctic has made a rare and unexpected stopover in Duluth. 

By Aimee Blanchette Star Tribune

JANUARY 7, 2016 — 7:50AM

Lined up with cameras and binoculars poised, hundreds of bird watchers gathered near the breakwall at Duluth’s Canal Park for a “once-in-a-lifetime” glimpse of a bird — a rare ivory gull.The species is an uncommon visitor anywhere in the Lower 48 states, but for the last week one — or even two — of these birds has been right at home on the icy shores of Lake Superior. Typically, the species is found in the high Arctic, some 1,500 miles north of Duluth.

“It’s a birder party,” said Sharon Stiteler, aka “Birdchick,” a Minneapolis birding enthusiast and author. “I normally don’t chase birds, but my chances of ever getting to see this bird again in my lifetime are slim to none.”

The sighting of the nearly-all-white bird has prompted last-minute plane reservations, extended Christmas vacations and impromptu road trips.

Bob Dunlap, vice president of the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union, jumped in his car New Year’s Day barely 15 minutes after he heard that the ivory gull had been spotted.

“It was a fist-pump moment,” he said. “People are coming from all over the U.S. to see this bird. It’s a very big deal.”

For avid birders, seeing an ivory gull is equivalent to shaking hands with royalty, which might explain why the bird has been eating like a king since its first reported sighting on Dec. 30. Photographers and birders have been tossing fillets of tuna and salmon over the breakwall to lure the bird as close as possible.

“It was 10 feet away at one point flying over my head,” Dunlap said. “I probably could’ve touched it. It was putting on a show.”

Regardless, the presence of even one ivory gull, native to the high Arctic, has drawn birders from across the Midwest and beyond to Duluth.

J.G. Bennett of Duluth was in Canal Park during his noon hour on Wednesday, photographing the ivory gull. “I can't get enough of it,” Bennett said. “It's like seeing an angel. So beautiful and mysterious.” Bennett had brought a piece of salmon along to draw the bird closer for photos, but a herring gull had gotten to it first and didn't want to share.

Other photographers armed with telephoto lenses came and went throughout the day, watching the gull, getting their shots. The gull was quite cooperative, often standing on the pier wall just a few feet from photographers. These ivory gulls are not the first to have been seen in the Twin Ports, Duluth birder Jan Green said. “The last one was in early January 2008 and was seen for one day only by a number of people, including me,” Green wrote in an email. “The total number of records for Minnesota is about 12, the first one by Olga Lakela in 1948 at French River. Except for two on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities (in 1991), all the rest have been on the North Shore from Duluth to Grand Marais.” Both of the birds spotted in Duluth were hatched in 2015, Laura Erickson said, judging by the black flecks on their wing feathers and other markings. As adults, they're pure white.On Wednesday morning, the ivory gull at Canal Park alternately perched on the breakwall, made occasional short flights and pecked bits of food from the pier wall. It appeared almost completely white against sullen gray skies.

“This has brought a lot of joy to a lot of birders,” Bennett said. “This is a life bird for me, as it is for almost everyone. I've been hoping to see it since 1981.” Erickson said the carcass of the bird found dead in Superior will be transferred to the Field Museum in Chicago for scientific analysis.

VIDEO

An ivory gull walks along a pier at the Duluth Ship Canal as birders watch from a distance on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Ivory gulls are uncommon visitors to the lower 48 states and typically spend their winters on the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean. (Forum News Serivce: Bob King)