Look. Up in the sky! It’s a Pelican! A Pelican?
Posted on May 10, 2008
Filed Under Birding, Outside |
You’ve probably seen them.
Big white birds. Only 6-12 at a time, flying in perfect formation high in the sky.
Tahoe is in the migratory path of pelicans.
White Pelicans in fact.
That would explain it.
(Note: CA pelicans that live on the coast are Brown Pelicans.)
The American White Pelican, pictured here, nests on Anyo Island in Pyramid Lake during the spring and summer.
They fly east over Tahoe in the spring en route to Pyramid Lake, and then we see them flying over to the west in the fall…back to the coast.
Over the last month, they’ve been seen flying over Desolation Wilderness near Emerald Bay between noon and 2pm almost daily.
Pyramid Lake, a 125,000-acre desert lake, lies at the terminus of the Truckee River approximately 30 miles northeast of Reno. The lake, a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan, contains a number of tufa formations and Anaho Island National Wildlife Refuge, site of one of the largest nesting colonies of the American White Pelican in the United States.
The island and surrounding waters are closed to the public. A spotting scope is recommended. Pyramid Lake is situated within a Paiute Indian Reservation, and visitors must purchase a day use permit, available at various locations along the routes described below. For up-to-date information on permit locations and pricing, call the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in Nixon (775-574-1000) or click here to visit their website. Pyramid Lake is a Nevada Important Bird Area.
So, what is the difference between a brown and white pelican?
South Shore artist, Reds Reagan gives us some insight…
The brown dive from high and fast crashing down and stunning the fish. The brown hunts/feeds by itself, while the white is part of a group hunting effort. The white encircle groups of fish in shrinking concentric circles, thus corralling and dizzying the prey and then they all feed on the combined effort of their labor.
American White Pelican - Photo by Steve Ting
