The year 2012 got off to a flying start in Northern Ostrobothnia when a rare Mediterranean Gull was spotted near the harbor of Marjaniemi on Hailuoto earlier this week.
There have been less than 40 recorded sightings of Mediterranean Gulls in Finland and only two in Northern Ostrobothnia-one in Pattijoki in 1989 and another Oulu in 1999.
In the past, Mediterranean Gulls have been known to stray into Finland on rare occasions, usually in April-May or August-October. But the sighting in Marjaniemi is the first time a Mediterranean Gull has been spotted in Finland during the winter months. The species´ primary breeding grounds are in in the Black Sea region, but they also nest along the Mediterranean coast.