One of the premier sites for gull watching in North America, especially during the winter months, where there is the largest concentration of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in North America. On the Pennsylvania side is Tullytown Dump, part of the Grows Landfill, and this seems to be the reason the gulls are attracted to this area. The two vantage points from Florence provide an excellent location in which to scan the dump or watch the gulls lazily float down the river. The shear numbers are sometimes overwhelming but it doesn’t get any better or easier (if you can pick through the Herring Gulls) than this.
HABITAT
Freshwater tidal river and a landfill.
BEST TIMES TO VISIT
Note: Activity on the river and at the dump correlates with the hours
that the dump is open.
Summer - This is the time for Laughing Gulls, which come by the thousands from their breeding colonies on the NJ coast. Other gulls present in small numbers, occasionally include Lesser Black-backed Gulls. There are generally a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls present by late September, but things really don’t start humming until late November.
Winter - By late November the first Iceland and Glaucous Gulls have usually arrived.
One reason to visit earlier in the season is to look for Franklin’s Gulls among the Laughing Gulls; several have been seen. December to February is the prime time, as over 100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 40 plus Iceland Gulls and 10 plus Glaucous Gulls have been recorded. The last Glaucous Gulls usually depart in April, but Lesser Black-backed and Iceland Gulls have been seen into June. Watch for Great Cormorants flying up and down the river.
SUPER RARITIES
The following have been reported at least once at Florence. It should
be noted that New Jersey Records Committee does not except reports of
these rarer gulls without documentation that includes photos, so the
following list must be considered hypothetical. The above should not
deter anyone from making a sighting of a rare gull known to the birding
community at large; someone might be able to get a photo. The unconfirmed
by photo list includes: Thayer’s Gull (up to 3-4 per year), Yellow-legged
Gull, California Gull and Mew Gull. The best approach is to learn all
you can about the common gulls, particularly Herring Gulls, which have
an amazing variability.
