“The White Pelican is huge, endangered, and here.” That is how I began my only previous posting about this bird when I last saw some four years ago.
Huge: While not nearly as heavy as the Trumpeter Swan, the wing span of the White Pelican is a good deal greater and ranges up to three metres. In North America, only the California Condor exceeds this.
Endangered: The bird is provincially endangered for B.C. has only one breeding colony. It is at Stum Lake, a bit west of Williams Lake in an area threatened by wildfires this summer.
Here: The most likely place to see the White Pelican is at the south end of the Lake (Creston Flats) during the warm months.
A flock of White Pelicans was spotted about a kilometre away.
In small groups they would then fly across the valley.
One group landed on the lake about 400 metres away.
I am now adding White Pelicans to my list of birds that I had no idea visited/inhabited the Kootenay Lake region! Other notable members on the list include Turkeys and Turkey Vultures.
I have seen White Pelicans in Saskatoon. I gather Saskatchewan is on their migratory flyway, but was not aware of their presence in the Kootenays. Thanks for the ongoing enlightenment Alistair.
OK, the obvious question is, why do we see them at the CVWMA in abundance, if they breed only near Williams Lake?
Margo, I don’t know. However, these pelicans were not in their breeding finery.
Another piece of new information . I had no idea that Pelicans journeyed to BC .
Nurses who trained inEdinburgh’s Royal Infirmary are also called ” Pelicans” since this bird is the central part of their coveted badge . I know for certain that there are two or three of that variety in BC .
” A pelican ” is also the name of nurses who trained in Edingurgh’s Royal infirmary and