Photos and text
Deb Ford
April and May are good months to keep watch for Bonaparte’s Gulls along the Lake Michigan shoreline of Door County. They are heading north to their breeding grounds in the boreal and taiga habitats of Canada and Alaska.
These gulls tend to migrate in large groups in the Spring, and they often stop in to feed at the Newport Beach shoreline and bay. They typically surface feed, with invertebrates making up the bulk of their diet. You might also see them ‘conveyor belt’ feeding: the group will feed on the move, heading into the wind. The front feeders will break off and circle back to the rear of the group, creating a conveyer belt appearance.
Look for a black-headed gull (although some may have not molted in to their breeding plumage yet, so heads may appear more mottled). They have white eye crescents, gray mantles, black bills and red legs. Males and females have similar plumage.
Fun fact: Bonaparte’s Gulls are the only gull species that nests in trees!
