Gulls on the Niagara

(Editor's Note: I haven't had a chance to write a Birds on the Niagara preview, but the event is Feb. 13-17 and you can find the schedule here. https://bird-niagara.org/)

Photos and story by Ryan Tidman

Canadian Geographic

Growing up in Ontario, I took Niagara Falls for granted. I was fortunate to sightsee there with my family, attend countless school trips and cross the Peace Bridge every summer break to visit relatives in New York. To my younger self, Niagara Falls was nothing more than a bustling tourist hub — a place to watch a gull steal an unsuspecting visitor’s hot dog or to catch an Elvis Presley impersonator on a street corner. Each year, roughly 12 million tourists from around the world flock to Niagara, a word that comes from the Mohawk Ohniá:kara’ — “the neck” between Lakes Erie and Ontario. But humans aren’t the only animals drawn to the thundering falls. Wildlife, too, has been making the journey to this extraordinary ecological corridor for millennia.

If you’ve ever visited the Niagara region, you’ve probably encountered somewhat pesky gulls — whether swooping in to snatch a snack, photobombing a family snapshot or speckling you with a white spray of bird poop. But these gulls are more than just opportunistic scavengers and scene-stealers. Niagara Falls is known among birdwatchers as the “gull capital of the world.”

Thousands upon thousands of gulls gather here each winter, making it one of the largest and most diverse congregations of gulls on the planet. During the cold winter, more than 100,000 gulls can be counted in the Niagara region from up to 19 different species — with birders sometimes spotting up to 14 gull species in just one day.

“I was enchanted by the number of birds on the river,” says birder Jean Iron, who has been visiting the Niagara River, searching for gulls along its shores, for about 30 years. “It’s one of the wonders of the natural world. But it’s also a wonder of the ornithological world.”

Among the most remarkable sights are Bonaparte’s gulls, with as many as 30,000 individuals seen in a single day. An estimated 25 per cent of the world’s Bonaparte’s gulls pass through the Niagara River corridor in the fall and early winter as they migrate south. Single-day counts of herring and ring-billed gulls, which both breed in the region, often exceed 20,000 for each. “There’s never a boring day here in November, December and January,” says Iron, who has led bird counts here for more than 15 years. “You can see the largest species of gull and the smallest species of gull on the same day.”

One of the main reasons Niagara is such a prominent location for gulls over the winter is the rapid, churning river system — and its waterfalls we chase. Many gulls that overwinter here start their migratory routes in the north or farther west inland. After autumn passes and the temperature dips below zero, water bodies that provide feasts for foraging through the spring and summer freeze, forcing many birds to begin their annual migrations if they haven’t left already. Lots of birds head to warmer climates or the Atlantic Ocean, where food is not trapped under layers of ice. But while many lakes and rivers freeze over during the winter in much of the Great Lakes watershed, not so at Niagara Falls. The continual charging torrents of water flowing through the Niagara River corridor prevent ice from forming on the river. Horseshoe Falls has not frozen entirely since March 1848, when icefields shifted across Lake Erie, blocking the river’s flow for 30 unusually silent hours.

“Birds take the path of least resistance,” says field ornithologist Marcie Jacklin. “If they get far enough south with a reliable food source, there isn’t a reason to continue to migrate further.” Niagara provides an openwater oasis in an otherwise frozen frontier for the birds. However, the gulls require more than just open water; they need food.

“Birds wouldn’t be there if there wasn’t something for them to eat,” says Iron, who held the role of president of the Ontario Field Ornithologists for nine years. The Niagara River is fed by the nutrient-rich waters of Lake Erie, which supports thriving fish populations. “It’s a huge food source for birds,” says Iron. Flushing through the Niagara River are many species of fish ripe for the picking of these seasonal visitors: alewives, gizzard shad, smelt and emerald shiners. (Gulls also have access to other food sources Niagara inadvertently provides, like that tourist’s hot dog or an all-you-can-eat buffet at the local dump.)

As fish are pulled through the strong currents above the falls, some get trapped and then pushed over the edge. The unlucky passengers soar down the roaring falls until they hit the water below. This impact momentarily stuns the fish — creating the perfect opportunity for the eagerly anticipating gulls as the churning waters are transformed into a prime feeding ground. This strategic exploitation by the gulls of the falls can be seen year-round but is heightened in the winter when food is scarce elsewhere and Niagara hosts seasonal feathered migrants.

The gulls have found another opportunistic food source thanks to a relationship with an unlikely partner: the Niagara Falls power turbines. Fish get sucked through the turbines and become mushed up, explains retired wildlife biologist Chip Weseloh (who has spent so much of his career working in the Niagara River corridor that there is a rocky island upstream, home to nesting herring gulls, that people refer to as Weseloh Rocks). The shredded fish floats to the surface, providing an easy meal for foraging gulls.

“Between the smaller fish getting stunned over the falls and the larger fish getting chopped up by the turbines, Niagara sort of acts as a fast-food restaurant for the gulls,” Jacklin remarks.

Jokes about their greed aside, gulls are an important part of the ecosystem. They help regulate the quality and quantity of fish in the water. They transfer nutrients from the water to the land. The congregation of gulls and other birds led to the area being designated an Important Bird Area in 1996. In 2019, the Niagara River Corridor was designated as a Ramsar Site, or a Wetland of International Importance on the U.S. side (the Canadian side is still awaiting designation; if this happens, it would be the first transboundary Ramsar site in North America). But the area and its ecosystem aren’t comprehensively protected. Stretching 60 kilometres from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, the corridor is a vital sanctuary not just for gulls but for a diversity of wildlife. Efforts are ongoing to protect the region from encroaching development and toxic pollutants.

Curious about their passion for gulls and the Niagara region, I ask Iron, Jacklin and Weseloh what has drawn them to a species many may see as a pest.

Iron laughs at the question and takes a second to think. Gulls have wonderfully expressive faces, she begins, before building up steam. They’re large and easy to spot, and their plumage evolves as they age — often changing with the seasons. “They’re an interesting challenge, and they’re easy to see,” she concludes.

Jacklin reminds me that even on the most unsuccessful birding days, the views along the Niagara are world-class, and being out in nature provides her with a sense of calmness and relaxation, almost as a form of mindfulness.

Weseloh mentions the rare opportunity to see a tufted titmouse, a small songbird whose northern range breaks into the Niagara region.

It’s not only experts who are drawn to the shorelines and waterfalls to look for gulls during the winter spectacle. Each February, the Birds on the Niagara winter festival attracts everyone from devoted birders to folks who have never identified a bird in their lives. But all attendees have one thing in common: the desire to learn more. “I’m still learning something every year, even 35 years later!” Jacklin exclaims.

Maybe this year, you’ll find me among them, marvelling at the countless wings over Niagara.