Migration drops a crowd of pelicans

[Donna]

Welcome to the pelican convention.

If you’ve been to the beaches lately or cruised around Coos Bay, it’s been hard to miss these lumbering visitors. Thousands of brown pelicans have converged on the south and central Oregon coast, with fall migration is under way to Southern California and Mexico.

“Typically, we see more birds in September and October than any other time of year,� said Roy Lowe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s project leader for the Oregon Coast Refuge Complex.

There were huge numbers this summer on the Columbia River, but don’t worry, Lowe said they weren’t munching on salmon smolts. These surface feeders dive in to dine on smelt, herring, sand lances and sardines. It’s the waning light of day that prompts them to wing south.

Last year (and perhaps this year) though, they lingered longer than they normally do. That can be dangerous once winter really hits, Lowe said. Last year, many got frostbite.

“When we get these powerful big Pacific storms with wind gusts to 100 mph, we usually get high mortality in these birds,� Lowe said.

The birds nest in January and February and spend summer near the mouth of the Columbia and in bays in Washington.

“Enjoy them. They won’t be here long,� Lowe said.