Twelve people braved a cool windy morning for some good birding. The trip was led by Kathy Mayshar. Pelican Island was the first national wildlife refuge in the country. In 1963, because of the significance of being the first NWR, it was listed as a National Historic Site.
The group first went to the boardwalk and pond on a short half mile walk. We saw three species of ducks there: American Widgeon, Blue-winged Teal, and Northern Shovelers. While we were looking at the ducks, a Bald Eagle flew by and delighted us with his presence.
We observed 108 white pelicans, the biggest flock was about 60, flying in a V. It was quite a sight to see. We also saw many Brown Pelicans and Osprey throughout the morning.
In the 1800s there were over 10,000 nesting pelicans, in 2003 there were 100 nesting pelicans. The feather hunters wreaked havoc with many of our birds. Two wardens in that time frame lost their lives protecting the birds. It was a dangerous time.
We were delighted to have two visitors from Montreal with us on the trip. They were Johane and Brad. It is so nice always to have visitors join us.
Even though there are fewer birds now, we did see or hear 40 species of birds. The day did warm up which allowed us to see some raptors like Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawk, and two Northern Harriers.
We did walk a trail that was protected a bit from the wind and saw a Catbird, Yellowthroat, Palm Warbler, Ground Dove, and a couple of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers. The last leg of our trip was a tour down the jungle trail. A good day was had by all.
Photos by Linda Sullivan, except as noted
