Why gulls of the Great Lakes are no ordinary birds

In the birding world, gulls don’t always get the most respect. Some people slander them as mere “beach rats” or “rats with wings.” 

Amar Ayyash attributes this to how people often fail to see wonder when it’s right in front of them all the time. 

“We tend not to be impressed by ordinary organisms that can thrive around us,” he recently told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “Whether it be a crow or a goose or a duck at the pond, it’s not as fascinating if it’s able to thrive around Homo sapiens for some odd reason.”

Nevertheless, some rare gulls are among the most treasured birds for birders to catch sight of in the wild.

“Some of the rarest birds — I mean hot on any bird watchers list — are gull species. Species that live in the Arctic don’t spend a lot of time down here,” he said.

“When we get like Ross’s gull to stray down here to the lower 48, you’ll have people crossing state lines and driving hundreds of miles to see them,” he added. “And then, strangely, you know, your ordinary Herring gull or Ring-billed gull will be looked right past by these birders.”

Ayyash hopes to spark wonder for all gull species. There are about 50 gull species in the world, and 28 that spend time in the United States.

Last year in October, Ayyash published “The Gull Guide: North America.” And he is one of the organizers for the annual Gull Frolic, which takes place in February at Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, just south of the Wisconsin border.  

Ayyash says the Great Lakes region is an ideal place to see these birds, especially during the winter months when rare gulls pass through. 

“If you want to see some wildlife in the winter months, some spectacular plumages, things like Iceland gull and Glaucous gull, you’re in a great geographic location,” he said. “Once you see your first Iceland gull, it’s hard not to want to see more of these birds, because they are just so spectacular and pristine, with these off-white and beige plumages. They look quite different than the ordinary Ring-billed and Herring gulls that you see in the summer months.”

Although climate change is contributing to species extinction, gulls have been a success story in their ability to adapt, Ayyash says. None have gone extinct since modern taxonomy records have been kept. 

“Gulls are among the most resilient bird groups. They’ve taken to our presence, to our actions. They have such varied diets. They’re OK being out at sea. They’re OK being in our ag fields. They’re OK being in our landfills taking handouts,” Ayyash said. “Now we have gulls that feed in trees that feed on crab apples and Russian olives. Having such a general diet makes it a lot more likely that they’re going to be OK when other bird groups are going to be in decline.”