Brown Pelicans

by Ruth Ann Angus

Pelicans have been around for a long time. They even look a little prehistoric with their short squatty legs, wide wing span, bulky bodies, and long bills and pouches. Pelicans are among the largest living water birds and are related to tropicbirds, cormorants, gannets, anhingas, frigatebirds and boobies. They have a wingspread of six- to seven-and-a-half feet and are found on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts of the United States.

The birds migrate up and down the Pacific coast and large colonies nest on West Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands in Channel Islands National Park and on islands off the coast of Baja, California. They begin breeding at approximately three years of age, building nest sites either on the ground or the cliffs of the islands. On the east coast, especially in Florida, nesting takes place in mangrove trees. Females are in charge of nest building, using materials gathered by males. They lay from two to four eggs, white in color, which rapidly become nest-stained.

Incubation takes 28 to 30 days. Brown Pelicans use their highly vascularized feet to incubate the eggs by standing on them. This is why they met with disaster when their eggshells became unnaturally thin due to the effects of DDT/DDE. As the parent birds stood on the weak eggs they would crush them killing the fetus inside. Since the ban of these chemicals, the birds have made a remarkable comeback.

Immature Brown Pelican	Feeding Frenzy
	Dumpster Diving

Some of the most fun is watching groups of pelicans gliding along in single file barely inches above the waves. Their feeding method is also a treat to see. After circling about 60 feet above the water, they suddenly plunge straight down, head first, diving under the surface and reappearing with a fish in their pouch. Then the bird tilts its bill down to drain the water from the pouch and tosses its head back to swallow. A pelican's diet is made up almost entirely of fish. Favorite kinds include menhaden, anchovies, and smelt. The latter two are sometimes abundant in Morro Bay.

Another favorite fishing technique is begging. As the commercial and sport fishing boats return to harbor, pelicans and gulls follow along behind, hoping for a handout. They usually get one when dock and crew mates clean the catch and toss the scraps overboard! Some birds go to great lengths to secure a scrap food, sometimes becoming dumpster divers at the fish cleaning station near the boat launch ramp in Morro Bay.

Pelicans are one of the favorite birds of people visiting the coast. As long as we are careful about keeping the environment clean and pure, Brown Pelicans should remain as a great natural attraction for many years .

This is more than a wake up call to us regarding our choices for energy supplies. We can put people in space, go to the moon, but we cannot seem to find a better way to supply a clean, affordable energy source that allows us to continue to live our lives as we do.

We as a species are a failure in every sense and other species continue to suffer and decline because we exist. In the grand scheme of things I am sure we will one day get our comeuppance. I hope I have gone to the happy hunting ground before that happens. In the meantime I sing a sad dirge for the plight of the Pelican and all the other creatures that are dying at this moment because of man's greed and need.