They weren't supposed to stay so long.
But the flock of brown pelicans hung around Chesapeake Bay well past the time they were supposed to migrate south for the coldest part of winter. Now they are suffering from frostbite that has already claimed six of the big birds.
"Some species are adaptive to the weather. Pelicans are not," said Dr. Heidi Stout, a veterinarian and executive director of Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, near Newark.
The nonprofit wildlife organization is caring for the injured birds, which were brought in late Wednesday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The 29 frostbitten pelicans were found in St. Mary's County in Maryland, where a team from the state agency rounded them up for transport to Tri-State, an internationally recognized rehabilitation center.
One of the pelicans died overnight and veterinarians euthanized five more Thursday after determining they were too badly injured from frostbite to recover.
"These guys are in such a weakened state," Stout said as volunteers helped staff veterinarians gently examine the birds. "It's a life-threatening situation and much of what we are doing is supportive care and pain relief."
David Heilmeier, southern region manager with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, believes the birds may not have migrated because they were following a food source -- some of the creeks off the western shore of the bay are swollen with bait fish that the pelicans find irresistible.
"It's such a prime food source and so easy and productive that they just, for whatever reason, don't migrate out like the rest of them do," Heilmeier said.
Frostbitten pelicans have been a problem for the past few years, so Heilmeier and his team know to watch for the signs. Suffering from exposure, the birds become listless and malnourished.
"When the weather got cold, I sent one of my staff out to check for them and, sure enough, they were there," Heilmeier said. "These guys were weak enough that some of my guys were able to walk up to them and pick them up."
Prolonged exposure to extreme cold does the same thing to birds as it does to humans. The extremities, wingtips, webbed feet and bill pouches lose circulation and the tissue begins to die. Sometimes the damage is minor and the birds can recover with a warm soak and other remedies.
Five of the pelicans brought to Tri-State were doing well enough Thursday that they were able to move to an outside pen.
Sometimes the frostbite is too severe for the pelicans to survive. They can lose their toes or wingtips, or their bills become too damaged to use for scooping up fish -- the only thing they eat.
Tri-State's goal is to rehabilitate the birds and get them to the point where they are healthy enough to be released back into their natural habitat. Stout said that could take months.
"If they are going back to the Chesapeake Bay, we might wait until the other birds return," she said.
Stout thanked the center's volunteers, who leapt into action Thursday when she put out the call for help. Rosann Ferraro was one of them. She came from her home in Earleville, Md.
"It is amazing to have the opportunity to be close to these animals and understand their form and function," she said. "And to watch all the hours and effort going into their rehabilitation -- it's a group effort."
THE BROWN PELICAN
THE BIRD: Brown pelicans are big -- about 4 feet in length. Brown as youngsters, they develop brown-and-gray feathers at 4 or 5 years of age. Their bill has a pouch of skin that can hold two to three times as much as their stomach.
RANGE: Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. Along the Atlantic, they are found from North Carolina south to Florida, but are sometimes summer visitors to the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia coasts.
DIET: Brown pelicans are plunge divers, dropping from flight to scoop up fish in their bill and pouch.
THREATS: Brown pelican populations declined when pesticides such as DDT were in use. They are still listed as an endangered species except along the Atlantic Coast and the Florida and Alabama Gulf coasts.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research needs donations to help care for the injured brown pelicans and other species there. Each bird eats up to 2 pounds of fish a day, creating additional costs for the nonprofit organization. Make a contribution at Tri-State's Frink Center for Wildlife, 110 Possum Hollow Road, Newark, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Donate online at
www.tristatebird.org or by phone at 737-9543.
