Anything that holds water and fish seems have found a pelican, and even places that don't, ... It's obvious that they are all over the place in areas you wouldn't normally see them. |
At colonies we have been monitoring, we believe West Nile is claiming 50 to 60 percent of the young for past couple of years. |
I would say that every biologist believes they will come back, as they have for over 100 years, unless something drastic happens. |
I'm sure they're Chase Lake birds. |
It's only a proposal at this point. There are a lot of hurdles. |
Once we have that (census), we will know if there is a problem with pelicans in general or if there are problems at just a couple of colonies. |
Our communication isn't that good. |
Some of the birds holding pretty close to their nests, so that's and indication they probably are. |
The abandonment of 2004 has yet to be explained, satisfactorily. What caused the die-off last year is still uncertain, although the West Nile virus certainly has been found, especially in the young chicks. |
There are usually two eggs per nest but usually only one chick survives. |
They are not a game bird and they're not on the endangered species list. |
We have to learn more about them before we can effectively manage the species. |
We're hoping someone who witnessed this senseless act or knows who is responsible will step forward. |