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Fins to Feather

by Scarlet Colley - July - 2003

The Brown Pelicans are a symbol of the coast. We almost lost them. Now they are making a comeback. Forty years ago it was rare to see a Brown Pelican here on South Padre Island. They were in such peril that they were put on the list of Endangered Species. This now meant that they would be protected and treated as very fragile. Nesting sights would be protected under this listing. The species now had a chance, with the help of the humans, rather than humans causing their demise.

We had already irradiated several birds like the Passenger Pigeon and the incredibly beautiful Carolina Parakeet. Both had huge populations in North America and the thought that they could become extinct was not addressed in time. So with that experience in hand, the Brown Pelican could have also gone the way of the Dodo Bird. Over the next forty years the pelicans would build in numbers. The only viable population in 1970 was in Florida. In 1973 the Endangered Species Act put the Pelican on the road to recovery. For folks that have been lived in this area for at least the last twenty years, the comment is that the pelicans are back, that even twenty years ago there were not many around.

The pelicans leave the area around South Padre in late April to nest on spoil islands north on the Laguna Madre. There they are free from predators and hopefully human interference of the nest site. They can incubate their two to four eggs for about thirty days. That is a long time to sit in one place. They incubate their eggs on their feet. It will take another seventy days for the young chick to take flight and return to South Padre with their parents to learn the techniques of diving for their fish. The young look different than the adults. The plumage of the young bird is all brown with a white tummy. The adult has a white head and a yellow area on the upper lower side of the pouch that served as a cue for the baby to feed at. The yellow will disappear thru the summer. Their wing span can be up to seven feet and they weigh up to eight pounds and they can live up to thirty years. Their pouch can hold up to seventeen pounds of water. There are seven different species of pelicans worldwide with the United States having two of them. The White Pelican is a much larger pelican that winters on South Padre Island. We look for their return in September.

The Brown Pelicans are a symbol we all are use to here on the coast. The perfect pose of the pelican resting on a piling is a classic. Seeing a Brown Pelican gives us a sense that all is well and feeds our spirit of well being. And perhaps Crystal Gayle was watching a pelican when she wrote her song Don’t it make my brown eyes blue, as the pelican magically transforms its brown eyes to blue in the springtime when it comes time to chose a mate. What a wonderful bird we saved from extinction. We can make a difference but it does take the caring of everyone. There are many birds now facing the possibility of extinction with loss of habitat and need the caring of their local community. There are many conservation organizations that one can join to help. There are birds in your community that need your help. You can make a difference. Go on line and see what your local Audubon chapter says about the birds near your home.

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