New Bay County Gull Spot

[Joe Soehnel]

There’s a new spot to ‘gull’ in Bay County.  It's the Republic (Whitefeather) Landfill in northern Bay County.  Myles Willard and Dan Duso ‘discovered’ it last week.  They had roughly 200 gulls which included Glaucous, Great Black-backed, a possible 3rd yr. Slaty-backed, and, of course, Herring Gulls that made up the largest number.  

I drove in on Monday, January 15th in the later afternoon and had a first winter Iceland Gull, 12 Glaucous Gulls, a Great Black-backed Gull, and roughly 750 Herring Gulls.  As it was late, I didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone about birding policy so Myles, Dan, and I went back up early yesterday afternoon, Jan 17th.  We didn’t have near the number of gulls that I had on Monday but still had nine Glaucous Gulls and roughly 150 Herring Gulls.  Our sense is that they may pack in later in the afternoon.

Hours of operation are Mon-Fri from 8:00 A.M. till 4:00 P.M.  Birders must sign in and out at the main building.  Park on the south side and enter the door on the west.  They will issue you a reflective vest and hard hat and you must wear it while you are on the property.  Cameras are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.  (A side note:  They are embroiled in a controversy with locals & DEQ regarding smell, expansion, etc.  They will allow you to come in but you may be watched.  We watched the gulls and two employees in a pickup watched us the entire time we were there from no more than fifty feet away!)

Directions:  Take I-75 north of Bay City to Pinconning Rd., Exit 181.  Turn right (east) to M-13 and turn left (north).  Drive three miles north on M-13 to just past Whitefeather Rd.  The entrance is on the right (east).  After you’ve signed in at the building, angle to the eastern edge of the mound and drive to the northern side where a bulldozer(s) is working the trash.  That's where the gulls are hanging out.

Joe Soehnel
http://www.saginawbaybirding.org

P.S.  The Saginaw River mouth is hosting Glaucous & Great Black-backed Gulls right now as well.  Check the SBA website for updates.





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