Flock of White Pelicans Pays a Visit to Mascoutah Lake: Birds May Be Headed North From the Gulf
Posted on: Sunday, 16 April 2006, 06:00 CDT
By Lisa P. White, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
Apr. 16--A large flock of white pelicans descended on a subdivision lake outside of Mascoutah on Friday evening, delighting residents and annoying their fellow feathered friends.
The Patterson family, who live in the Estates at Plum Hill on Illinois 177 near Mascoutah, spotted the pelicans in the 10-acre lake behind their house. At first they thought they might be ducks. But a closer inspection -- and a quick Internet search -- revealed that the 9-foot wingspan and tell-tale sacks bulging with water underneath the orange beaks belong to the American white pelican.
"There are some Canadian geese out there and you could tell they didn't like it too much because those pelicans came and just took over the whole lake," said Jim Patterson.
Laura MacLeod, assistant director of education at the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Mo., said it's not unusual to spot white pelicans in the area as they migrate up from the Gulf Coast states where they spend the winter to the inland lakes in the northern United States and Canada. The birds often hang out along the Mississippi River near Alton, she said.
"They are big, beautiful birds," MacLeood said. "They aren't like the brown pelicans (who dive into the water in search of food). The white pelicans paddle along and sweep the fish up."
A rescued white pelican named "Scoop" lives at the bird sanctuary.
Carolyn Buxton, who lives in North Fort Myers, Fla., is used to seeing brown pelicans. She grabbed the binoculars and said she counted 93 of the white birds, although her daughter Becky Patterson thought there were fewer.
"They flew onto the lake and then they were constantly moving around, just swimming around," said Buxton, who is in town visiting her daughter's family.
By Saturday morning the birds had moved on, their brief stay in Plum Hill just a rest stop on the long journey home.
Contact reporter Lisa P. White at lwhite@bnd.com or 239-2460.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
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Source: Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, Ill.)
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