With nearly 95% ice coverage across Lake Erie, the food source destination for many animals is now inaccessible. The water is locked away from animals, including endangered species like the Little Gull.
There are only an estimated 800 Little Gulls left across North America, and they are the smallest species of gull in the world, according to the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. One of these rare gulls was brought in to the Center's caretakers earlier this week as it was in distress.
The Lake Erie Nature & Science Center deals with ill and/or injured wildlife year-round. They normally see a rise in visits and calls during the winter months. Morgan Haines, Marketing & Development Coordinator for the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, says
that patients this winter have come in being landlocked and emaciated, or weak because of an illness or a lack of food.
"They are not injured, they are not sick, but they're just hungry and need open water," says Haines.
Some animals, like certain ducks, can use their warm bodies, sitting on the ice, to warm it up and break through thin ice, but other animals, like the endangered Little Gull, do not have any abilities to break through.
Even from the comforts of land, people can see large groups of gulls congregating on the ice just offshore. These large gatherings are more common during the winter, and lead to significantly more spread of the Bird Flu, says Haines. So, avoid getting close to those groups of animals as the risk of spread is elevated.
If you find what appears to be an injured or sick bird or animal, and do not know what to do, do not approach it; call the nature center. They have recently completed a renovation, so the center has three large, open ponds, which are heated to provide food and open water when the lake is frozen over.
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