I love Pelicans. The Brown Pelican was almost wiped out by DDT, but because the pesticide wasn’t used widely in Florida, there are now about 20,000 pelicans in the state. Now, besides natural predators such as raccoons, their main enemy is human fishermen. Hooks, lures and monofilament get caught in the bird’s pouches and wings. The rehab centers are inundated with injured pelicans that often require surgery.
I also just learned that throwing fish carcasses to pelicans is a bad practice because pelicans mainly eat small fish. Friends caught a lot of Spanish Mackerel, and when cleaning and filleting, threw the frames to the pelicans. I was so excited to see these amazing birds up close, and take pictures of them. Well – won’t be doing that again! (Ignorance is bliss.)
They fly in squadrons with perfectly synchronized wing flapping up to 35 mph. They rely on the deeper feeding large fish to scare the little fish up to the surface – which is what they feed on. They have incredibly good eyesight, and they plunge very suddenly when they see these schools – their beak and head flipping upside down upon impact. When they bob to the surface they lower their beaks to drain the water, then lift their heads to swallow the fish. Gulls hang out on pelican’s heads, optimistic they’ll be able to nab a fish – which they rarely are able to do.
In ideal conditions (which unfortunately are rare these days) a pelican can live up to 30 years. Scientists surmise that old pelicans often starve to death because after so many years of plunging into the ocean, they become blind – and thus can’t fish anymore.
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Spring has always been my favorite season because of the promise it brings, so I usually start getting impatient at about this time of year. I can’t wait to start planting again. My fovorite harbingers of spring are the forlorn sounding mating call of the male black capped chickadee and the songs of spring peepers on the first evening that is warm enough to sit out on the porch.
As you probably learned in English Lit: “A wonderful bird is the pelican, his beak can hold more than his bellican …”When we see birds circling like that over water we suspect that they are scouting for near-surface fishes. Our gulls do it, and gradually circle lower until they begin to dive – or go home.For a good picture showing their typical head, beak and body arrangement in flight Google Catherine Jenkins video Do Not Stand By My Grave and Weep, listen, and wait for three big birds in formation. Lovely.To get into pelican sightings try emailing Dana Richter the Bird Man at MTU and Audubon. He’s a real enthusiast!Dad
Buddylee compared to a pelican..? I can understand that..They are both entertaining though their food choices vary greatly…Buddy lee seems to see as much of the ground from ground level as the pelican does from the air cause Buddylee is always traveling…has he been to the Citrus County Landfill to flirt with the eagles???
Long-term recovery of ennedgared species and the habitats upon which they depend will never be achievable as long as the human population continues to grow beyond its already-unsustainable 6.5 billion. Moreover, global warming continues to shift habitat locations, habitat composition, migratory patterns, predator/prey relationships, and life patterns of those species. And there’s no sign that will be reversed in my lifetime.As already repeatedly pointed out by other posters, while it’s appropriate to be outraged with BP, it’s even more appropriate to be outraged with ourselves, and our inability to develop a sustainable long-term energy policy in the U.S. Even something simple like a $1-a-gallon gas tax (whose revenues could go to developing alternative energy, paying down our federal debt, and offsetting the economic burden on low-income drivers) is a political non-starter. We are a nation of self-centered, self-absorbed consumers who do not understand the concept of personal sacrifice for anything bigger than ourselves.But even a sustainable energy policy is undercut by population. As long as the U.S. and the global population continue to grow, any progress made in reducing per-capita energy consumption will be erased within a decade or two by more capita. We need to face up to some inconvenient truths. I’m afraid I’m not optimistic.Stephanie Mcnealy
Dale, As I mentioned in my post, scientists think that they usually die from starvation. All that plunging head-first into the ocean eventually makes them blind – the impact on their eyes takes its toll. Then of course they can’t fish anymore. So terrible! I don’t like to think about it. Such a fantastic bird.
How do pelicans die naturally? We saw a large one standing alone on the beach for over an hour. It moved slowly and seemed weak. It occassionally raised its wings, as if meaning to fly, then lowered them as if the effort was too great. Eventually, after we were certain it was going nowhere, it walked to the water and floated (swam?) out to sea. We never saw it take wing. It made us wonder how these birds die if preditors or oil spills don’t get them first.
I love pelicans too Anna. Thanks for the great pictures and the interesting facts about them. I love to watch them fly in squadrons and dive. We have often noticed that they seem to fly mostly in one direction over the ocean in front of the beach. Is it north to south?