Way far south – must check travel plans next time

This Ivory Gull showed up in Flint, Michigan, a first for the state, and a lifer for us. Ivory Gulls are typically seen in northern Baffin Island and the Arctic Sea pack ice. They seldom stray south and this one was way out of range. Sadly, it did not survive much longer and was found dead a few days after it was first reported. Ivory gulls feed mainly on carrion and are adapted to life in the northern ocean. It was theorized that the food it could find in the area it had wandered to did not provide sufficient nutrition.