CLEVELAND, Ohio — Bird watchers this month have been trying to catch a sighting of a rare bird, a Sabine’s Gull, at Rocky River Park.
Despite popular belief, there is no such thing as a seagull, said Jen Brumfield, a Cleveland Metroparks naturalist who has set Cuyahoga County records for most bird species observed in a year.
“We have in Cleveland recorded over 15 species of different types of gull, and Sabine Gull’s is one of the most beautiful,” she said.
Brumfield says this captivating seabird is an extremely rare visitor to the area.
The Sabine’s Gull is known for its charcoal gray head edged in black, a red eyering, and a black bill with a yellow tip. During the summer they nest in the arctic tundra, splashing through freshwater pools to catch insects.
“Every year there’s usually one, maybe two, recorded in the general area between Cleveland, Lorain, and Fairport Harbor,” Brumfield said. “It’s a huge target species for bird watchers. It’s on a lot of folks’ most wanted list as a rare bird for multiple reasons.”
Brumfield says while the seabird does rest in the high arctic, it migrates through the Great Lakes in very small numbers.
“Most bird watchers have never seen one,” Brumfield says.
She believes Lake Erie’s healthy population of fish and recovery of our water systems is behind the gull’s trip to Rocky River. Originally spotted Nov.17, Brumfield says the bird has already broken a record for how long it’s been staying offshore around the mouth of the Rocky River.
“It will absolutely move out if the lake starts to freeze up because it is a bird that wants open water to forge over,” Brumfield said.
She says the seabird will continue to forge food near Lakewood Park and off Huntington Beach until moves out as the weather gets more extreme.
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December 15, 2020 at 09:03PM
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A rare sighting of Sabine’s Gull near Rocky River excites local bird watchers - cleveland.com
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