A moored sailboat is always a good photo subject and a hazy sunrise made it more appealing. This one is moored in northern Grand Traverse Bay off the shore of the Leelanau Peninsula. The island near the horizon is officially called Bellow Island on the Lake Michigan Chart, but locally it is known as Gull Island. There are literally thousands of gulls that nest there every spring and make it their home all summer. The remnants of the structure is a house built in 1910. The stone first-story and chimneys are still standing, but the elements have claimed the roof and wooden second story. It was used as a summer retreat for a few years, but in the end the battle with the gulls proved too much. Their incessant noise, huge amount of guano, and charging attacks during the nesting season took all the pleasure out of their island cottage. Sounds a little reminiscent of the 1963 Alfred Hichcock's movie "Tvehe Birds". The island now is owned by the Leelanau Conservancy and is a bird sanctuary, as it is the southern most nesting area for Herring Gulls in Lake Michigan.