Sunday, March 12, 2917

After what seems a long, unproductive, and downright bad week, comes some
good news. We chased, and found, an ivory gull. A lifer for both of us. In beautiful
downtown Flint, MI no less. Flint isn’t the most ideal birding location. In
fact Flint isn’t the most ideal location for just about anything. In Costa
Rica, a third world country, we could safely drink water right out of the tap. Not
so in Flint, thanks to our Republican Governor and legislature.

The ivory gull is a circumpolar arctic bird, usually found
on pack ice. It has never been an abundant species and its population has
dropped dramatically the past few years. Quite possibly due to the drop in pack
ice brought on by climate change. Which isn’t happening according to Trump and
his cronies.

The ivory gull is an American Birding Association Code 3
species, meaning you chase it when it’s reported nearby. For us it was about a
45 minute drive, then about an hour of driving up and down the Flint River,
stopping in any abandoned lot with a view of the river. We finally found it
where it was initially reported on the U.M. Flint campus. We were in a parking
lot looking at the river when a security person drove up and said, “The bird
you’re looking for is down by the spillway. Just follow the sidewalk and look
for the crowd.” We did and sure enough, there was the crowd and the bird. There
were people from all over Michigan and Ohio with lots of optical equipment to
behold. People were hugging each other when they saw it.

This bird was initially found by a 16 year old neophyte birder
and U.M. Flint student. What is really cool is that someone set up a gofundme
site to help her with tuition and to buy a good set of binoculars. They set a
goal of $1,000 and went over $1,600 in short order.