I birded the Milwaukee Lakefront this morning and the highlight was gulls. 1 Gluacous Gull juvenile at Bradford Beach. Other gulls were a Glaucous Gull adult and 2 Great Black-blacked Gulls adults near the petroleum pier on broken ice or on the pier itself. It was a cloudy day with stiff winds making it feel like a cold January day. Images were taken on February 24, 2016.
Glaucous Gull juvenile at Bradford Beach
Glaucous Gull
Binomial name: Larus hyperboreus
Category: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Size: 27” long, 60” wing span
Weight: 3.1 lb
Habitat: This large gulls breeding grounds are in the northern arctic. It spends its winters farther north than most gulls on coasts, lakes, urban areas, dumps and agricultural fields. Mostly breeds along shorelines of the seacoast, rivers and lakes, also refuse dumps. These gulls are usually not found inland.
Diet: It captures prey such as plovers, small ducks, ptarmigans, auks, birds, small mammals and invertebrates. It also scavenges dead fish, carrion, garbage and dead animal matter.
Nesting: The nest is a shallow bowl constructed of twigs, grasses, sedges, moss and sometimes feathers. The nest is located on cliff edges, grass slopes above cliffs, islands or ponds on the tundra. 3 eggs are usually laid brown in color with dark brown spots.
Glaucous Gull adult near the Petroleum Pier
Glaucous Gull Juvenile with Herring Gull right
Trying to keep its balance with the high winds!
Trying to keep its balance with the high winds!
Glaucous Gull adult at Bradford Beach 2/26/2016
Glaucous Gull adult at Bradford Beach on 2/26/2016
Great photos of a beautiful bird. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jim. I think we could use your pictures as a reference guide cause when it comes to Gull ID I always need a book to look and compare. Very nice especially with the lake waves as the background.