Pelecanus erythrorhynchos“What are they, whooping cranes?” one observer wanted to know. No, “they” were three American White Pelicans, circling as if “for the pure fun of it” over Route 104 near Lake Bluff Road in Wayne County on 19 May 1978. Cars, trucks and at least one school bus pulled off the road as the big white birds continued to circle for several minutes, people jumping out of their vehicles to enjoy the spectacle. (BA, 24 May 1978) Among the onlookers were Glenn “Chip” Perrigo and Clay Taylor, who had pursued the birds from Montezuma NWR after they had taken off after a dense morning fog lifted. They picked up the birds two or three miles north of Clyde as the weather cleared and the sun came out. “Looking across a broad, gentle valley they saw the big birds approaching, flapping and soaring in great circles as they moved north,” John Brown reported.The two intrepid birders caught up with the pelicans again as they flew over North Rose’s main business section, and tracked them north up Route 414 to Route 104 where they “conducted a very brief roadside seminar on pelicans” for the excited onlookers. As the sun climbed higher, warming the ground and setting up thermals, the pelicans began flapping less and gained altitude rapidly, mixing in with migrating Broad-winged Hawks. Last seen, they were flying toward Port Bay, high above the lakeshore.BackgroundThe “somewhat comic proportions” of this bird’s large bill and pouch are distinctive. This is primarily a species of western and southern North America, tolerant of humans when foraging or loafing, but shy and “prone to desert or to leave eggs and young exposed to predators if approached” at their breeding colonies. Unlike Brown Pelicans they do not dive, but instead form cooperative foraging groups. The birds surround schools of fish or drive them to shallow water, scooping them out of the water with their bills. There had been a long-term decline in numbers until the 1960s. More recently, numbers have been increasing, with 53,345 nests located in 1985-1986 in Canada alone. (BNA 57:1, 2, 15)The New York State Avian Records Committee, in its 1998 annual report, cautions: “Any large white pelican discovered in New York needs to be critically examined, particularly the pattern of black on the flight feathers, to make a correct species identification. There are six species of large white pelicans with varying degrees of black on the primaries and secondaries and all should be kept in mind when encountering a white pelican in New York. At least one of these species, the Pink-backed Pelican (P. rufescens), has occurred in Maryland as a zoo escapee (Southworth and Southworth 1992) and other escapes are possible.” (KB 51:481)However, given the increasing regularity of sightings in western and central New York, NYSARC in 2006 removed American White Pelican from its list of species that should be submitted for review, except for sightings downstate. “Since the 1980’s, the continental population has undergone a steady increase . . . Better protection of breeding colonies and changes in usage of organochlorine pesticides are thought to be major factors in this increase.” (KB 56: 226-227)Local history When one of these was shot by a sportsman on a pond bordering Lake Ontario in 1863, it was “stuffed and made to assume the appearance of life,” the Rochester Union and Advertiser reported. “It now figures as an ornament in the confectionery of Mr. John Howard, Daily Union Building.” (Marcotte, p. 18)This is one of our earliest records of this remarkable species, which, fortunately, survived the carnage of the 19th century.StatusIrregular rare to fairly common visitant.OccurrenceNormally found west of the Mississippi River, these birds have wandered with increasing frequency into New York in recent years. Note that more than half of Region 2 records have occurred since 1989. With the exception of one late June record, these have all been recorded in spring, or late summer/fall. 1. One on 21 April 1945 was seen on a marsh at Shore Acres by Sidney Wilkin– and, unfortunately, met a similar fate as the bird in 1863. “The following day he found it dead, shot by someone unknown,” Beardslee and Mitchell report. “It was ‘a female in excellent breeding-plumage condition and contained eggs.’” (B&M: 91) Edson, who gave the date as 20 May, decried the shooting, blaming it on “some trigger-happy marksman,” and said it was the first Monroe County sighting since the turn of the century. 2. Three more on 30 April 1950 were along the lakeshore west of the Genesee River, the same day three departed Oak Orchard Swamp in the morning, Edson reported (WBR, 8 May 1950). 3. Six on 28 March 1954 (J. Taylor, Conway) a half mile off Shore Acres. Edson jokingly wondered whether Joseph Taylor, just back from Florida, had “lured a few of his pets north with him” (WBR, 5 April 1954). The birds were studied for half an hour with a 30-power scope before they drifted out of view. “The birds did not fly, but the large black wing patches were observed as one of the birds flapped its wings. This eliminated Whistling Swan . . .The very large bills characteristic of the Pelican provided positive identification.” (GOS, March/April 1954; KB 4:10) 4. One 16 May 1954 (T. Barry) observed for half an hour as the bird “circled up out of Sodus Bay, soaring continually except for about four characteristic dives . . .” Local game wardens said the bird had been in the vicinity since 14 May. (GOS, May/August 1954; KB 4:47) 5. Three on 19 May 1978 (C. Perrigo, C. Taylor) in Wayne County were “followed on one of their morning pleasure flights from Montezuma to near Port Bay” (KB 28:170) 6. One on 26 September 1984 (R. and H. Duerr) “stopped briefly on a farm pond” along North Hamlin Road (KB 35:43; Birds, 14 Oct 1984) 7. One on 29 May 1986 (R. and E. Edgerton) was at Hamlin Beach SP (KB 36:148; GOS, August 1986). Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 37:205) 8. One on 9 May 1989 (Nicoletti, C. Cass) at Parma (KB 39:173) was soaring with two Sandhill Cranes, last seen headed west (GOS, October 1989). 9. One from 15-21 May 1990 (Nicoletti, Listman) was seen from Braddock Bay to Round Pond, (KB 40: 175; LG, July 1990). Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 42:5) 10. One on 23 June 1990 (R. Corts) at Long Pond, was possibly the same bird as 9) above (KB 40:248; GOS, July/August 1990) 11. One on 23 April 1992 (Ewald) at Braddock Bay (KB 42:161) was “observed from the hawk platform flying east” (LG, May 1992). 12. Three on 26 April 1996 (Symonds, C. Cass) at Braddock Bay (KB 46:232) 13. Three on 3-9 May 2002 (C. Ryan, mob) along the west lakeshore from Kendall to Hamlin (KB 52:242). Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 54: 287) 14. One on 7 September 2003 (M. Tetlow) at Braddock Bay and on 8-9 September 2003 (mob) at Irondequoit Bay (KB 54:55). Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 56: 8) 15. Maximum of 8 on 4-5 October 2003 (J. and L. Barry) at Braddock Bay (KB 54:55). 16. One on 26 August 2004 (Bounds, C. Cass, Groling) at Braddock Bay (GOS, October 2004). 17. Nine on 21 May 2006 (BBBO, mob) at Manitou Beach provided our largest tally (LG, July August 2006). (Note: One at Canandaigua Lake 7-8 May 1989 (KB 39:173) was probably just outside our region. Dobson reported another at Cranberry Pond 18 May 1991 (Birds, 14 July 1991). “The bird was harassed pretty consistently by boaters on the pond and was not in the area the next morning.” This record does not appear in either of the club newsletters or the Kingbird.) Pelecanus occidentalis“Brown pelican – on the lake.” Mike Davids’ announcement was greeted with momentary disbelief by the small group of birders gathered in front of the Elmheart Hotel on 19 Sept 1981. Nonetheless, as John Brown reported, “The big bird was unmistakable, and the group watched it for some time as passing boaters began to take notice and circle closer, but the pelican paid them little heed. It moved into the (Braddocks) bay entrance and found a perch on a stub where many other observers could see it. It was last seen by Davids off Hamlin Beach, flying westward just before dark.” (BA, 24 Sept 1981). There had never been a record of this southern coastal bird in our region. Now the big question: Was it a truly wild bird, or an escapee?Background“Whether perched atop a piling, panhandling at a fishing pier, or gliding above the surf, this conspicuous and popular seabird is instantly recognizable,” notes Mark Shields in his profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. “Long wings gracefully carry individuals to and from their fishing grounds, and flocks often fly in lines just above the water’s surface, slowly rising and falling in a wavelike pattern.” This is the only pelican known to dive head-first to capture prey. Brown Pelicans breed in colonies of up to several thousand pairs, typically on small estuarine or offshore islands along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts from mid North America southward to northern South America. This species nearly disappeared from North America between the 1950s and 1970s because of pesticides such as DDT and endrin in the food chain. Its population has now been restored to pre-pesticide levels along the Gulf Coast. “Wanders widely, especially during postbreeding period.” Casual inland as far north as Idaho, N. Dakota, Michigan, Ontario and southern Quebec. (BNA 609: 1-2, 4)StatusCasual, very rare visitantOccurrence Only four records. 1. “Most northeastern sightings of brown pelicans have been after hurricanes, and this one could have been brought north by Emily and become disoriented,” Brown noted of the 1981 sighting. “But there is also a chance that it might be a bird reported to have escaped from the Belle Isle branch of the Detroit Zoo in late summer.” It was subsequently lingering along the northern shore of Lake Erie (LG, October 1981). That, alas, remains a strong suspicion, according to the Monroe County annotated list (AL, p. 14), which considers this a “possible ‘escape’ associated with the transfer of four Brown Pelicans from Florida to a Detroit zoo.” 2. No such questions surround our next record: an immature bird, presumed wild, that lingered from 6 June (Symonds) to 11 September 2002 along Lake Ontario from Hamlin Beach to Sodus Point (KB 52:347, 350; 53:49). As the New York State Avian Records Committee noted in its 2002 annual report: “During the summer of 2002, there was a great movement of Brown Pelicans into inland regions of Eastern North America (North American Birds 2002). A detailed review of these sightings by Alan Wormington (Wormington 2002) indicated that at least eight individuals appeared around the Great Lakes, including three in New York. The pelican at Sandy Pond and Sodus Point clearly pertained to the same individual.” Another was at Oswego and another on Cayuga Lake. (KB 54: 288) 3. One 4 July 2006 (Jim Barry) Greece, “flying along the lakeshore.” (KB 56: 336, 338) 4. Four on 19 August 2007 (D. Tetlow) Hamlin. (LG, October 2007)