A Little Prize

Despite a wild and crazy day at the ole peanut factory, I managed quite a bird today.

A quick call from Darrin after he found the bird,  a quick shot to the south end of the park, and the next thing you know, I am looking at a little gull, called a Little Gull.

Notice, first, the name.  "Little" Gull, not Seagull. There is no such thing as a seagull. Lots of gull flavors. 

Can you guess how big a Little Gull is? Right.  Not big at all.   In fact, it is the smallest gull in the world.  It is much smaller than the ones you see hanging out at the McDonald's dumpster (those are likely Ring-billed Gulls, by the way).

 

How often are they seen in Wayne County? Not very. You could probably count on one hand the numbers seen there in the last 20 years.  Heck, you might even be able to count them on Homer Simpson's hand ( he has only 4 fingers).

Sadly, upon my arrival, it basically took off upriver, so some people missed it.   With distances in the order of hundreds of yards, it's dainty size while flying with it's larger cousin, the Bonaparte's Gull, was not as noticeable as you might think. The real kicker was the completely black underwings and the rounded wing tips. The "Bonies" have wings that are much more pointed . Check out this picture  below (no it is not mine) and you will see what I mean:

 

A life bird?  No.  A state bird?  No.  A Wayne County bird? Yup. #276.  A Lake Erie Metropark bird?  Yup.  #247.

Thanks Darrin!