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They have been in some of the northern states and parts of southern Canada for a while, and in Wisconsin for at least a decade, nesting, for example, in Horicon Marsh and on Cat Island in Green Bay. But seeing 500 WHITE PELICANS near the mouth of the Manitowoc River last week, had me blinking repeatedly to clear my disbelieving eyes. Indeed, even with vision cleared, there they stood, more than five hundred, packed into a jostling, preening mob on the mud flats at the edge of the containment lake next to the North Breakwater. I’ve read that white pelicans occurred in Wisconsin in the summertime 100 years ago but that they were hunted to extirpation in the state. Why would anyone want to shoot a pelican?
My estimate, counting by 20s, of over 500 birds, was about 7:00 PM, June 17th. The birds standing around had retired from the day’s fishing with plans to spend the night on dry land, comfortably digesting the alewives in their bellies. Still more were arriving every minute, much to the inconvenience of those already on the ground. There is a rule of flight among birds, especially those with talons: The bird on a perch or on the ground, must yield, however disagreeably, to the airborne arriver who wants their particular place. Even talon-less, paddle footed but weighty white pelicans respect this rule and make way for arrivals. In a congested area, however, the rule may be difficult to honor. At the last moment, say, with six, maybe eight ponderous 17 pound late-comers on final approach, air brakes dropped, gliding at speed for the very spot upon which he or she is standing, what is a pelican to do? Forget the rule? Stay put? No! It panics, yielding space, getting out of the damn way, as best it can, shoving the neighbors aside if necessary.
In addition to the pelicans in the containment area, hundreds of gulls and terns, also sharing space on the flats, frequently take flight, as these birds do, wheeling about screaming and yelling, only to land again more or less exactly where they just left, creating a lively and noisy spectacle.
White pelicans are related to brown pelicans, a species that inhabits both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Brown pelicans are well-known for their spectacular air to sea missile dives after fish. White pelicans prefer fresh water. White pelicans are not quite as much fun to watch as they don’t engage in such showy aeronautics, instead catching fish while swimming along on the surface and plunging their heads underwater to snatch them in their long bills. Sometimes they do this cooperatively, paddling along line abreast, concentrating fish ahead of them, or cornering them against a shoreline, whereupon they all jab into the school.
Still, white pelicans are good flyers and, with their nine foot wing spans can be seen soaring along in formations, their black primaries and secondaries contrasting sharply with their white bodies, making them easy to identify, in flight, even from a distance.
Still, white pelicans are good flyers and, with their nine foot wing spans can be seen soaring along in formations, their black primaries and secondaries contrasting sharply with their white bodies, making them easy to identify, in flight, even from a distance.
When their wings are folded the black feathers are not visible and they appear to be all white. A stately group of six of them flew over the house at 1222 So 15th Street a couple days ago, something I’ve never seen before in this place. For Wisconsinites these birds are a fairly new phenomenon.
I think they are making a living here on alewives, small silvery fish that inhabit the great lakes to which they probably gained access through the St. Lawrence Seaway. Schools of them could be seen this week along the breakwater, and thousands, if not millions of these fish sometimes wash up dead on Lake Michigan beaches. So, maybe the pelicans, in growing numbers, have recently discovered and are exploiting this food source.
My count of pelicans in the containment area at 7:00 PM July 3, was 360. I don’t know how long these birds will be around Manitowoc, but if you visit here this summer it might be worth checking out the birding at the North Side Breakwater. The number of species to be seen is high and the area now has an official name: The Charles Sontag Birding Area, in honor of our most prominent local birder. If you are not interested in pelicans there are other birds, including waterfowl, to see. And even if you are not interested in birds at all and are perhaps listening to canned music through your headphones while missing the sounds of nature, a walk on the breakwater is good exercise and a scenic change from urban sidewalks.
Brown Pelican
How will the addition of thousands of pelicans feeding up and down the waters of Door County all the way to Manitowoc and who knows how far south, affect the ecosystems of the lakeshore? Trout, salmon, and other fish, and other birds, such as gulls and terns and cormorants also feed on the same fish. Maybe alewives are just as good in the bellies of pelicans as laying dead by the millions in windrows along the beaches.
White Pelican
And one more note. I’ve seen another bird feeding on alewives, a species one might not expect to be doing so: common grackles! But that’s a topic for another posting.
R T WALLEN
R T WALLEN
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