and to the north

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“A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week;
But I'm damned if I see how the helican.”

"The Pelican" (1910) by Dixon Lanire Merrith (often misattributed to Ogden Nash)

Once again I've heard from my friend Sue Wagoner from Aurora, Illinois, and she sent photos. My goodness, don't you just love that tuft of feathers at the top of this pelican's head.

Sue writes, "The American white pelicans start coming at the middle to end of March. Flying in, circling slowly as they descend on Nelson Lake Marsh. Every year the numbers have increased—last year the highest count was over 300.

Word spreads fast among birders and non-birders alike and the parking lot overflows. It is a good teaching time as we explain to newcomers that these are not tropical birds like the brown pelican, they nest in Canada and northern states; that they fish by ducking their heads under water to scoop up the fish, often in unison; that they are very social and swim together in lines and even form circles to trap the fish. Both males and females have an upper mandible plate during breeding season; it later falls off.

These birds are huge—about 5 feet long with a nine-foot wingspan—but they are unbelievably graceful in their flight. They fly smoothly over the water seemingly just to exercise. When it is time to move on, they leave in groups, slowly circling and soaring upward on the thermal air. It is sad to see them go."



Wow! Thanks Sue.

- Photos by Sue Wagoner, Aurora, Illinois

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