American White Pelicans
Return to the Upper Mississippi River
© by
Pat Middleton, Discover! America's Great River Road, Vol 1.
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Audubon's American White Pelican 3-27-07 "American White Pelicans were gathered in great white clusters...
like pure white snowbanks... along the island beaches just north of Stoddard,
Wisconsin, today. The sky was gray, the water as well. Pelicans who were not
populating the banks were massed in thick circulating clouds that probably
stretched as far as Brownsville, Minnesota. What a beautiful sight!" PELICANS on UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER may
now linger into November... it is not unusual to see both Tundra Swans and
American White Pelicans on Pool 8 in November. Bob Lamb, Outdoor Editor at the La Crosse Tribune, reported recently that the American white pelicans are back on the Upper
Mississippi River. Look for them on the backwaters of the Mississippi and
Black rivers in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and south of Goose Island. Whether they are just passing through to breeding grounds in Lake of the
Woods in Minnesota or further into Western Minnesota is unclear at this point.
The birds may be stopping in the area just long enough to feed on plentiful
carp and buffalo. "Bachelor" or young, non-breeding, birds of either sex may
stay in the area through the summer. Mary Stefanski, refuge operations
specialist with the La Crosse District office of the Upper Mississippi
National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is currently unaware of any nesting colonies
of pelicans in Wisconsin, but is requesting that birders keep an eye out for
pelicans of breeding age. These will have a hump like a steering board on
their bright yellow beaks. Pelicans will nest in open areas on islands and peninsulas. They make their
nests in open areas by scraping the ground into a bowl just far enough from
the neighboring pelican to avoid getting pecked. They can also be found
nesting with cormorants. Anyone discovering any pelican nesting activity is
asked to call Stefanski at 608-783-8403. Some additional pelican facts from Bob Lamb:
I clearly remember one late summer evening in 1994 when the Mississippi
Queen was passing Turtle Island, west of Stoddard, Wisconsin. The bluffs and
the still river reflected the pink and lavender colors of the sunset painting
the sky. We stirred up a colony of several hundred pelicans that must have
been resting near the island. The whole colony swirled slowly in huge circles
around the steamer. "This has to be heaven," one of the passengers
murmured as we
watched from the bow of the boat. I can't think how heaven could be any more
beautiful than that moment."
Visit our Birding Page for
dozens of birding links, including the
Viewer Forum for reporting
bird sightings. Redberry Lake (Canada)
Pelican Research Station
4-5-97 
A strange old bird is
the pelican,
His bill can hold more than his belly can!
~Ogden NashMore Great
Birding Links! See our
Mississippi River Birding Page
More Great Links!
Interesting, I have been Photographing the White Pelicans as they migrate
through Clarence Cannon Wildlife Refuge on the Mississippi River. This site is
just South of Clarksville, Missouri. This is my first encounter with the
pelicans in the six years I have been doing outdoor photography. Today, April
5, 1997, I believe I got some good slides of the last remaining birds before
they left for more Northern climes. The pelicans were soaring into a forty mph
wind against a clear blue sky. Last week I estimated about 400 pelicans on the
refuge, today maybe only a hundred. Keep up the good work.
--Al Blount. Overland, Mo. ABlount982@aol.com