Miller Ferries' Feathered Regular
With a decade of cameos, a signature split foot and a talent for working a crowd, Kenny the Gull has become a beloved character on the ride to the Ohio island of Put-in-Bay.
He goes by Kenny G., and his smooth moves have nothing to do with a swooning sax — though his charisma does land him on center stage for crews steering Miller Ferries' vessels and guests who chuckle at the storied seagull’s antics.
Kenny G. is a ferry regular and seafaring jester.
The first Kenny cameo was captured on camera in 2020, though Capt. Steve Rose and crew members Zach Olsen and Lucas Kyle say the team can count at least a decade of sightings (seagulls commonly live 20 year or even more). “The split webbing is what makes him distinguishable,” Rose says of the seabird’s right foot.
Not exactly a pegleg, but a pirate seeking the booty of crewmembers’ granola bars, he sure is.
“Plus, he’s the only gull who will fly right up to the pilot house,” the captain adds of Kenny’s tendency to tap on the glass for attention. Of course, his “friendliness and good looks” are also redeeming qualities, Rose points out.
Kenny’s “personal ferry” is the M/V William Market, the captain says, relating how Kenny will depart from Put-in-Bay in a fowl swoop if he sees his favorite ride casting off. “We think it’s crew-based,” says the captain. In other words, Kenny has learned which crew members are likely to share snacks.
Though the crew has discovered he’s a bit persnickety about Goldfish crackers. “He doesn’t like the color red,” Rose says. “When we feed him the colored Goldfish, he always eats the red one last.”
Kenny G. expects some level of fanfare for his ferry antics. “He’ll flee when the crew doesn’t give him enough attention,” Rose says.
Once, Kenny landed on deck with a female mate. “We assumed it was his girlfriend, but he’s back to being a bachelor now,” Rose quips. There’s also talk of a doppelganger with a left-split foot that will visit occasionally.
To be sure, Kenny G. has the island lifestyle figured out, including how to winter comfortably, which for gulls like him means not migrating far and sticking close to the shore with some commuter-stops on Catawba Island and along Marblehead. Icebreakers churn up fish food and parking lots can produce a buffet.
Kenny G. stays true to the Lake Erie Shores and Islands.
Rose says, “He continues to show up year after year and faithfully helps crew the ferries and entertain the guests.”
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