Weather and Human Handouts Endanger Brown Pelicans
Brown pelicans that remain along the Oregon coast during the winter months face grim odds of survival against winter storms and the kindness of humans. (Photo by Ken Gagne)
By Larry Coonrod
OREGON COAST--Scientists don't know why over the last several winters a small population of brown pelicans has stayed on the central and north Oregon coast instead of migrating to southern California. What they do know is that those pelicans face grim odds of survival against winter storms and the kindness of humans.
Pelicans' six to eight-foot wingspans act like sails, making them highly vulnerable to winter waves and wind.
"When we have big winds and surfs, pelicans start breaking wings," said Sharnelle Fee, director of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria that cares for injured pelicans. "If they get caught in that big surf, they can get pummeled. A lot of times the wing injuries are too severe to be repaired, and those birds are humanely euthanized."
The Wildlife Center, a private nonprofit, specializes in rehabilitating seabirds, taking in as many as 2,000 a year. Winter storms make November through February a busy time of year.
"One storm can bring in 200 birds," Fee said.
Feeding Pelicans Discouraged
A lack of winter food and injuries that render them unable to forage often bring pelicans into contact with people. And, unfortunately, says Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Herman Biederbeck, well-meaning humans do more harm than good when they give the big-billed birds a handout.
"Pelicans are used to feeding on live fish in estuaries and the ocean, not potato chips," he said.
Feeding the pelicans human food can encourage them to stay on the coast rather than migrating to their winter breeding grounds in Baja, Calif.
"If people hold them up here by feeding them, the cold will kill them," said Fee, the Wildlife Center director.
Unlike ducks and geese, which stay in the water during cold spells, pelicans haul out at night and are subject to harm from freezing temperatures.. Pelicans' feet are particularly vulnerable, Fee said. If pelicans lose more than half of the webbing on their feet to frostbite, Wildlife Center caregivers must euthanize them. The permit the Wildlife Center operates under prohibits keeping birds in captivity if they have no chance of returning to the wild.
"We have to rehabilitate or humanely euthanize them," Fee said.
In addition to encouraging pelicans to hang around instead of migrating, handouts can prove deadly. Fee has treated pelicans that have consumed chicken bones, hot dogs, doughnuts and potato chips, for example.
"When you have a hungry pelican, they're going to eat anything you put in front of them," she said. "These kinds of foods can actually kill them."
Brown pelican populations made a comeback after the federal government banned the pesticide DDT in 1972. In 2009, they were removed from the Endangered Species list. However, they are still protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and people who harass or harm them, intentionally or not, risk criminal penalties.
Reporting Injured Birds
In the Lincoln County area, injured wildlife should be reported to the Oregon State Police, which can call on volunteers trained to capture and transport birds and animals.
Fee also encourages people to call the Wildlife Center at 503-338-0331 . Fee and her staff keep rehabilitated pelicans over the winter and release them in the spring. As the birds' injuries heal, volunteers move them from the "hospital" to outdoor enclosures.
"They are gradually transitioned over to our 155-foot flight cage," Fee said "We want them conditioned up and to be in shape for flight when they are released this spring."
For more information about the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, go to www.coastwildlife .org.
