10:43 p.m. - 2005-05-31
American white pelican!
Yes, readers, I'm spoiling you with two entries in one night! The lapse in write ups will be explained shortly. But first:
"Pepe", official bunny-cat of the Critter Corner, killed his first mouse! KB informed me of this event today, and when I told R, he could only exclaim, "Today, 'Pepe' becomes a cat!"
Things have been slightly busy because of events at work, and because we were gone for the weekend at the "Big Wu Family Reunion". I haven't attended this jam band festival since 2003. It was great hanging out with AB and her sweetie, D, along with R and TS. Along with seeing "hippie" culture, I was introduced to a band called "Trampled by Turtles". A Critter-related title! They are some badass bluegrass dudes from Duluth...check 'em out!
Even though the campground was filled with people, port-a-potties, and night-long drum circles, wildlife did appear. We were lucky enough to be camped near the lake, where the red-winged blackbirds of the previous entry were quite active. Also spotted: Pelicans!
Until recently, I didn't know pelicans EXISTED in the midwest! Indeed, they are not found in WI. The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrohynchos) has a long history in Minnesota.
Commonly found before European settlers moved in, (wait, how did we know this then?) the last clutch of pelican eggs in MN was crushed by "unscrupulous picnickers" in 1878. And although the American white pelican migrated through MN during this 90 year interval, imagine scientists' surprise when pelican nests were found again in 1968! Marsh Lake, MN was the magic spot, and now there are two other confirmed pelican nesting grounds, in Lake of the Woods County and the Minnesota Lake in Faribault County.
Let's discuss the birds. American white pelicans are mostly white, with black feathers on their wings and tail. They're about 50 inches long and have a seven foot wingspan! While flying, the pelican's necks are tucked in. Adult birds have orange legs and beaks, while younger ones are more tan-colored. Unlike the Brown pelican, American white pelicans don't dive into the water to feed, but instead hunt while swimming.
Pelicans work together to "herd" fish, moving in a circle and then collecting them in their pouches. They then tilt their heads to drain out the water, and swallow the meal! Pelicans also eat tadpoles, salamanders and crayfish.
In line with their large size, pelican love is on a majestic scale. Several bachelors will engage in a mating flight with a female, and they soar together in circular formation on evening thermals. (Did this inspire the recent private jet flight Tom Cruise used to woo Katie Holmes?!) Once the pair is formed, they select a nesting spot. This is simply a shallow depression, usually on an isolated strip of land or an island. It's not isolated for long; the nesting grounds become packed with nests and eggs, and the adult pelicans will kill babies who wander into their territory.
Poop report: Pelicans prefer higher ground where there is less vegetation. But as nesting progresses, most plant life is killed by pelican poo!
Unlike other birds, the American white pelican does not have a "brood patch" or belly area that is bare of feathers, in which to incubate the eggs. Instead, the parents hold each egg in one of its feet! Thirty days after the 3.5 inch eggs are laid, the chicks emerge. Pelican babies are fed a diet of partially digested food from the parent's beak pouch, up to five times a day!
After three to four weeks, the chicks start straying from the nest, and hanging out with other babies similar in age. It seems that the parent pelicans know their offspring, however, and don't feed any others. After eight to nine weeks, the pelican chicks attempt to fly, and work on that skill as the summer progresses.
During the summer, American white pelicans can be found from Northern California east to MN, and north up to Alberta, Canada. During the winter, the birds head south, primarily to the Texas gulf, Florida and SoCal.
Pelican eggs are susceptible to attacks by gulls, and I guess Victorian-era picnickers? I'm not sure of what creatures like to eat adult pelicans.
Yay for summer(ok, late spring), yay for lakes, and if you can see some pelicans, yay!
Food pouches,
Wendell
