Birds of a Feather

Erin Spinka and Wendy Angel

Plenty of strange items can be found in landfills, but a bird of a different feather has made its way to the J.C. Elliott landfill in Corpus Christi, Texas. In January, local chemist Willie Sekula spotted a large, yellow-legged bird — along with approximately 60,000 native Texas seagulls — scavenging around the landfill. Sekula sent photos of the bird to experts who concluded that a hurricane or storm had blown in the rare seagull from the Azores or the Madeira Islands to the Gulf Coast of Texas. Now, tourists are flocking to the disposal site to catch a glimpse of the European Larus michahellis, named Gimpy because of his weathered wing that has lost some feathers. To date, landfill staff have guided nearly 300 people around the site. Gimpy seems to be a welcome guest to all but the Texas gulls, who perhaps want a piece of the limelight.

Source: Los Angeles Times