I drove for 8+ hours in whiteout conditions today to make it to Gloucester, MA where the Ivory Gull was reported, and thankfully, I met with success! The Ivory Gull was stunningly beautiful, even in pouring rain and high winds. It often came within 20' of the crowds, which meant that some of the photographers with mega-lenses had to back up I was thankful I was able to get the shots I did.

In addition to the Ivory Gull, there were several Glaucous Gulls (also a lifer for me), at least four Iceland Gulls, a "Nelson's" Gull (Glaucous x Herring hybrid) and tons of Herring and Great Black-Backed Gulls. My camera was having a tough time with the cold, and so I never did get a decent shot of the Glaucous, but here are some of the little visitor from the far North.

P.S. Sarah - talked to Al and Sharon who were en route - keep your fingers crossed for them!







Jill

Benton, ME
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon EF70-300 F4-5.6 IS USM

WOW how exciting so glad you managed to spot him!!

DuckWatcher
No California -- Zone 9b
Olympus SP-560 UZ

Congratulations Jill!

New Jersey
Zone 6

Fabulous photos and Congratulations! Did you see Al? He sent a photo of the Ivory gull (not as nice as yours)



sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

I was in Gloucester by 7AM, trying to beat the huge storm we just had, and I left at 9:30 to battle my way home - Al and his wife didn't make it there until late afternoon, so we just talked on the phone I was so happy that they got the gull, though!

Jill

Benton, ME
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon EF70-300 F4-5.6 IS USM

Super bird.

Jill

that is just SOOOO COOL..all the Gulls you saw, esp lifers.

thanks for sharing your birding adventures and successes!!

i think they are all successes, but when you travel 8 hours, the success is exceptionally sweet..right?

cheerio
alice



...


USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

such a sublime bird!

J

Jill there's another ivory gull north of Boston I just heard from Al Guarente

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

A bunch of folks are speculating that the Plymouth bird may be the Gloucester bird, since that one has not been seen today. I find that easier to believe than two Ivories in MA at the same time! And a bunch of folks are wondering if this is the same bird that was at PEI, since that one has also moved on.

Jill

Benton, ME
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon EF70-300 F4-5.6 IS USM

Congratulation Jill, It's a Great feeling to get a Lifer isn't it?

Alan~S Cal

Awesome! Wow! I'm glad that you are safe and sound after driving in bad weather....but it was definitely worth your while, was it not? Congrats! Great pics too!


(Minnesota)

Lifers really are thrills, aren't they, Alan? And they're getting harder to come by, at least locally! These two gulls brought my life list up to 510. There are still a bunch of birds I can find around me here in Maine, but they are ones that are going to take a lot of time and effort - which makes them all the more satisfying, I guess

I am especially glad to have gone when I did and miss the crowds, but in hindsight, it was pretty dumb. I have since talked to a bunch of birders who tried to make it there Sunday and instead ended up in ditches by the side of the road.

Jill

Benton, ME
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon EF70-300 F4-5.6 IS USM

Hello Jill,

A Great Big Congrats!
What a stunning bird! My "lifer" list is miniscule next to most on here. I still have yet to see common birds such as a Nuthatch or a Chickadee...
I'm sure that one was very special to add to your list!

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Congrats! I spent this weekend up there in Essex County competing in the Superbowl of Birding. Good fun. We missed the gull yesterday though. It was very disappointing since it wasn't seen after 11:00 AM and then came back this morning. It would've been a lifer for two of my friends. I was lucky enough to see one in NY in 2007.

Great photos!