If I had to leave Vermont in February, there's no place I'd rather be than mucking around a swamp in Arkansas searching for these birds.

If you're not a bird watcher you won't be very excited, though gulls are graceful in flight and striking in appearance. If you're a bird watcher this makes you weak in the knees.

This bird has never been seen in Vermont, and it's extraordinarily rare in the U.S..

There are many gull species in the world. This one is noticeably different from any gull we have in Vermont.