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<\/p>\nOur famous Gunnison Island American White Pelican rookery is in big trouble.<\/p>\n
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Utah is well known for its American White Pelicans, in no small part because of the pelican rookery on Gunnison Island in a remote part of the Great Salt Lake. During nesting season Gunnison Island is home to up to 20,000 pelicans estimated to be 10 – 20% of the entire population of the species. In a typical breeding season 4000 – 5000 pelican youngsters fledge on Gunnison Island.<\/p>\n
Since the Great Salt Lake has no fish because it’s too salty the obvious question is… what do they eat? Each day many of the adult pelicans fly 30 miles east, especially to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, where the salinity is much lower and fish are abundant. Some of the adults actually fly about 100 miles south to Utah Lake in order to load up on fish. Both groups then return to the rookery to feed their youngsters.<\/p>\n
This explains why people see those huge flocks of pelicans circling high overhead with their blacks and whites flashing in the morning sun. In order to save energy for the long daily trips they ride thermals to great heights then largely coast down to their destination.<\/p>\n
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In many areas of the country the adults typically eat small fish but at Bear River MBR carp are common and can be quite large. This pelican struggled mightily to get the big carp down the hatch but “his” efforts were complicated by other pelicans out of frame that kept trying to steal it.<\/p>\n
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He worked at swallowing the carp for a long time but I believe he eventually gave up, It was just too big. Here we can actually see the scales of the carp through the thinly stretched membrane of the pelican’s pouch. I always marvel at the effort and energy required to fly such big loads of fish all the way back to the rookery.<\/p>\n
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The Gunnison Island rookery is threatened for three related reasons – low water levels of the lake, predators and short-sighted and selfish humans. Gunnison Island is close to the shore and in shallow water. When water levels drop due to natural or not so natural water fluctuations the island becomes connected to the shore by a land bridge so predators like coyotes can take advantage of the extremely vulnerable pelican chicks on the ground. And they do.<\/p>\n
In recent years water levels of the lake have been dropping precipitously, partly because of drought but even more so because of overuse of fresh water entering the “dead” lake. Thanks to a coalition of selfish and short-sighted politicians, industrialists and agricultural interests much of the fresh water that has naturally entered the lake for centuries is being diverted for use by industry and agriculture so the lake is drying up. Even with the lake already disappearing politicians have proposed additional dams and impoundments on the Bear River. The lake and the pelicans and other birds that rely on it don’t have a chance. The iconic Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is seriously threatened.<\/p>\n
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Last year, largely because of low water levels exposing the land bridge and allowing predators like coyotes onto the island the typical 4000-5000 young pelicans raised to fledging was reduced to no more than 500. And something similar is likely to occur again this year and on down the road until the rookery completely collapses.<\/p>\n
I’ve always wanted to be one of the volunteers that helps Utah DWR band young pelicans on the island just before they fledge. Several friends of mine, including a couple of my ex-students, have done it but I never have. If you’d like to get a feel for what it’s like, and for the effect of the land bridge being exposed has had on pelican numbers, please watch this video clip of last year’s banding operation<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n It will definitely open your eyes.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our famous Gunnison Island American White Pelican rookery is in big trouble.<\/p>\n