Rare Ivory Gull from the high Arctic turns up in Poland on November 23, subsequently found dead

Birdguides.com
Fri, 06 Dec 2024 21:24 UTC

© Zbigniew Kajzer

Ivory Gull, Władysławowo, Pomerania

Poland's second-ever Ivory Gull has been found dead at a coastal town in the north of the country.

The bird, an adult, was found at Władysławowo, Pomerania, on 23 November. It frequented the town harbour, offering point-blank views and attracting plenty of admirers in the process.

However, after the bird was last seen alive on 29 November, it was discovered dead the following day.

Ivory Gull breeds in the High Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America and Eurasia. It is a rare but regular vagrant to Continental Europe. The only previous Polish record was at Rewa, Pomorskie, on 29 September 1989.

Britain's most recent record came in January 2019, when a bird at Loch Ryan, Dumfries and Galloway, was taken into care before being released at Stevenson Point, Ayrshire.