Sunday, January 17, 2010

Pelican Peccadillos: A few pelicans linger



After the storm on Friday, a few pelicans were here yesterday, lumbering and loitering about on the Coquille river.  Only a few dozen after the thousands we rubbed elbows with in November and December.  An amazing number when you consider the population had dropped in California to fewer than 100 breeding pairs in 1972.   That total has now risen to more than 6,000 and the overall Pacific brown pelican population is at 70,680 breeding pairs, according to the USFWS’ Lois Grunwald.

Unlike these photos from December, the pelicans are now showing their winter breeding plumage with a distinctive dark brown nape, yellow head feathers and red gular throat pouch.  Non-breeding pelicans have the white hind-neck without the dark brown stripe.   Like other birds, these guys were not only threatened due to the high levels of DDT in the fish they eat, but also due to indiscriminate slaughter for their feathers.

Well, birding is a little slow right now, it's dark, dank, wet and really windy.  A glimpse of pelicans bathing in the river and preening on the pilings cheers me up and gets me racing home for the camera.

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