Gull Point: This Summer’s Hotspot for Many a Fine Foreign (Feathered) Visitor

By: Ripley Kindervater

Hello from Gull Point! As summer draws on and nearer to a close, I’d like to share a few of my experiences with you all. Gull Point has seen crazy birds this year, as usual, including a handful of unbelievable ones!

To kick things off, I have been heckling myself all summer for not being on Gull Point nearly enough! The woes of working other jobs! I recall watching the reports flow in of insane numbers of Willets, Godwits, and Whimbrels in late June and early July, and cursing myself for not making it out the point during such savvy weather.

Shortly after, I ventured to Gull Point to find a rare visitor, the Hudsonian Godwit (HUGO). While some stop by Gull Point every year, this one was special to me since it was my lifer! With Victoria, EBO’s 2024 intern, in tow, we set out for Gull Point with spotting scope in hand. Luckily for us, we managed to evade a storm on the way out, yet saw evidence of it as most of the point was flooded, allowing fish to access the trail. On the platform, I immediately noticed the small godwit foraging in the southernmost pond, or P3 as we call it. The HUGO had a long, orange-based bill with black bleeding down from the tip and a noticeably ruddy belly and breast. Eventually, a Killdeer chased the HUGO off, allowing Victoria and I to see the white of its rump and wings. After a while, we decided to leave via the interior trail as dusk was drawing near.

The majority of the trail wasn’t flooded, allowing for easy going, however, when we reached the head of the interior trail, the flood waters were a sight to behold. Many fish were able to be seen swimming down the path, an amusing aspect that reminded me of Ponyo. While most were tiny minnows, I noticed two large fins sticking out of the water ahead, and upon drawing closer, I realized they belonged to Eyetail Bowfin. Eyetail Bowfin belong to an ancient lineage and look truly prehistoric. The bowfin were much larger than I had anticipated and were surprisingly calm, allowing me to pet their slimy, yet irresistibly emerald and blue scales. Their heads were surprisingly boney. I could have spent hours watching them peruse the path, but alas, they eventually made it back into the larger ponds, sending Victoria and I on our way.

Jumping ahead, I recall going to work at Gull Point one afternoon with my friend Jordan in tow, who was eager to see some shorebirds in PA. As we passed Mary on the way in, I spoke with her and got an idea on what I should do for the day as well as what shorebirds were around. At the point, I set up my tripod on the central platform and began scanning the shores in a north to south fashion. On the eastern shore, I noticed a round pale bird preening on a dune in the afternoon heat: a Piping Plover. I was glad to find Jordan’s lifer as they can be tricky to spot amongst the surprisingly vast dunes from the platforms. Jordan eagerly looked through the spotting scope at the Piping Plover while I continued looking around the point. As my gaze moved to P3, I noticed a large flock of Canada Geese grazing on the mud flat with an odd looking bird at the forefront. I immediately lifted my binoculars and inspected the bird more closely, and recall thinking, “That’s a weird looking Green Heron.” I grabbed the scope from Jordan and moved the strange bird into view. My jaw dropped as I couldn't believe what I was seeing, an extravagant male Ruff in Erie, Pennsylvania. Despite never studying their appearance, the bird was immediately recognizable. Ruffs are aptly named for the ruff that males have during the breeding season, and are highly variable in coloration. The surprisingly large shorebird had a dark black ruff, yellow legs, a gold and brown spangled back, and a pale bill. Instantly, I called Mary and asked her if she had noticed the Ruff in the middle of P3, and I could tell from her response that she couldn’t believe it either. The bird was constantly moving and I sent word out to birders at once. Foraging and flying, it eventually went out of sight in P3, causing me to get on with my job of finding our Piping Plovers. Walking up the eastern shore, I distractedly looked for the Piping Plovers since the Ruff was still fresh on my mind. Luckily, I found and watched all of the Piping Plovers, specifically the targets of the afternoon’s search. While observing the target plovers, I noticed that the Ruff had moved to the eastern shore ahead of me and was encroaching on our Piping Plover family’s territory, much to the displeasure of the parents. Try as they might, the Piping Plover family was unable to remove the stubborn Ruff from their territory, causing them to eventually give up and continue foraging with their chicks nearby. For the rest of the evening, the Ruff continued to forage on the eastern shore instead of the more suitable mud flats, the waves were… ruff! It was remarkable for me to see such special birds together on the same beach, even if they didn’t want to share. I stayed around the point until late that evening to ensure other birders were able to see such a magnificent vagrant. Unfortunately, the Ruff was never resighted during the following days, and must have continued on his mysterious way.

Towards the middle of July, reports of a Roseate Tern just across the Ohio border surfaced and set us Erie birders acraze with hope. The presence of a Roseate Tern away from the ocean is a big deal! While we all hoped that the Roseate Tern would show up at Gull Point or in Erie somewhere, you never really know if a bird will do as you wish! For instance, many of us noticed the reports of a Brown Booby in the Great Lakes roosting on a US Coast Guard ship yet nobody sighted it when that very vessel passed through Erie County’s waters. Fatefully, the Roseate Tern did show up in Pennsylvania, and at Gull Point on July 16. I recall receiving a tip from Jennifer Ferrick and rushing out to Beach 11 from the middle of sidewalk trail, it was a longer run than I expected. Carl Engstrom sighted and identified the graceful, pale tern flying and foraging in the severe winds brought by western storms. Begrudgingly, I realized that I needed to pay more attention out at Gull Point as I was out there only a few hours before he reported the bird. I definitely missed it or waved it off as one of our nesting Common Terns. Upon arriving at Beach 11, I ran down the beach much to the confusion of many beachgoers, and set up my spotting scope. I began slowly scanning the bay, praying that the bird was still around despite the strong western winds. Many Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were flying over the water, making it difficult to discern distant birds.

However, I instantly noticed the flight of a tern lakeside of Thompson Bay. The pale tern was mostly white and contrasted greatly with the gray water and skies. Its tail was long and deeply forked and when it flew closer, I noticed its dark, black bill. I tried to keep tabs on the Roseate Tern while I waited for other birders to arrive, yet it was difficult with the strong winds. Unfortunately, when others showed up, I was unable to find the bird - the harsh reality of chasing rarities. Luckily, many of them still saw the bird on Gull Point later that evening or the next day as it had landed there when I couldn’t find it earlier. The following day, the bird persisted, allowing me to grab a few okay photos during an early morning hike to Gull Point. I was excited to learn that this tern was indeed the same bird seen in Ohio, as it was confirmed by its bands! It's truly remarkable the story a few banded birds can tell! Originally from Massachusetts, this two-year old bird strayed into the Great Lakes and granted a plethora of birders a unique opportunity to see this graceful tern.

While the year is not done, I hope to make it to Gull Point a few dozen more times, especially with fall migration on the way. This season has continued to teach me, as I am still fairly new at birding! Ultra rarities worthy of chasing should be pursued immediately if I wish for the best chance to see them, which is probably my biggest lesson from this year!

Thanks for listening, I hope to see you at Gull Point, and Happy Birding!