PELICANS • Jose Quezada

I have observed the Brown pelican a common sight late summer and Autumn on the North Coast, often flying in to the Humboldt Bay area from estuaries in the Big Lagoon region to the north. I believe some are also staying year-round. Brown pelicans live year-round in estuaries and coastal marine habitats along both the east and west coasts. According to http://www.allaboutbirds.org Brown pelicans on the West Coast breed on dry, rocky offshore islands. When not feeding or nesting, they rest on sandbars, pilings, jetties, breakwaters, mangrove islets, and offshore rocks. Brown Pelicans mostly eat small fish that form schools near the surface of the water—including menhaden, mullet, anchovies, herring, and sailfin mollies. A foraging pelican spots a fish from the air and dives head-first from as high as 65 feet over the ocean, tucking and twisting to the left to protect its trachea and esophagus from the impact.