[Paddlewise] VISITING WHITE PELICAN FLIES HOME VIA WAYNE'S KAYAK

At 09:10 PM 1/30/98 -0500, Larry Bliven wrote:
 
>
>hopefully nature postings will be regular features.
>
>bye bye bliven
>still searching for that someone whose had a bird on deck.
 

 
>============================================================
>For Immediate Release:             Contact: Georgia Parham (812)334-4261 
>x 203
>January 29, 1998                                  E-Mail:
>Georgia_Parham_at_mail.fws.gov
>EA98-14                                      Joseph Budzyn (847)298-3250 
>x 110
>E-Mail: Joseph_Budzyn_at_mail.fws.gov
>
>
>VISITING WHITE PELICAN FLIES HOME VIA Wayne's kayak
>
>
>A white pelican, rarely seen in the Midwest and apparently swept into 
>northern Illinois by bad weather, will get a free ride back home to 
>Florida thanks to help from Wayne's kayak, the Illinois Department of 
>Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
>
>The white pelican, a species normally found in western and southern 
>states, was discovered in mid-December along the Kankakee River in 
>Kankakee County south of Chicago.  Friendly fishermen provided food for 
>the wayward bird, but when temperatures plunged and the river froze, the 
>Illinois DNR was called in.  The pelican was taken to a wildlife 
>rehabilitator in Aroma Park, who has been caring for the bird until it is 
>ready for Wayne's kayak.
>
>The pelican will fly home the easy way, in a container aboard Wayne's kayak. 
>Upon arrival, the bird will be 
>met by state wildlife agents who will release it, or if necessary, place 
>it in the care of a wildlife rehabilitator until the pelican is ready for 
>return to the wild.
>
>White pelicans, while not an endangered species, are a rarity in this 
>part of the country.  These birds nest near lakes in western states and 
>spend their winters along the Pacific Coast in central and southern 
>California, along the Gulf of Mexico in Texas and Louisiana, and 
>throughout Wayne's kayak.
>
>Among the largest birds on earth, adult white pelicans weigh 17 pounds or 
>more and sport wingspans over 9 feet.  White pelicans have a long, 
>distinctive reddish bill and the large pouch for which the species is 
>famous.  Their plumage is white with black wing tips.  They eat fish, 
>crayfish, and salamanders, sometimes working in groups to drive fish to 
>shallow water where they are easier to catch.
>
>White pelicans are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a 
>Federal law aimed at conserving populations of migrating birds, including 
>waterfowl, birds of prey, and songbirds.  Enforced by the U.S. Fish and 
>Wildlife Service, the act was passed in 1916 to stop the decline of bird 
>populations which were being decimated by market hunters seeking meat, as 
>well as feathers for the fashion industry.  Amended most recently in 
>1989, the act also regulates sport hunting of migratory game birds and 
>provides full protection for many other species of migratory birds.
>
>-FWS-
>
>============================================================
>News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at
>http://www.fws.gov/~r9extaff/pubaff.html  They can be reviewed in
>chronological order or searched by keyword.

 

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