[texbirds] Re: Brown vs. American White Pelican - food capture behaviors
- From: Brush Freeman <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: MBB22222@xxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:07:28 -0600
.....
First I too have never seen a White Pelican dive on prey. One
interesting thing you alluded to with experience in Brown Pelicans...Young
birds are dumb. In 2004 I work evey day for about 7 month in Matagorda,
Lavaca,Cox, Keller bays etc. It was a rainy year
(remember those?)....There is a place called Sandy Point that divides
Matagorda from Lavaca Bay...It juts way out between the two bays and is a
well known boating hazard. However that year, due to the rains the Lavaca
Bay was so murky to make seeing more than a few inches to a foot deep was
nigh on impossible ..At Sandy Point, numerous hatch year Brown Pelicans
found mullet schools there easy due the shallow water, but they could not
see the depth of the water...Late that summer, there were a dozen or so
flightless Browns that were hanging around the point after they plunged
into the shallow, murky water breaking wings etc. There even a few that
were dead onshore, likely with broken necks. A couple of the boat owners
brought cast nets for mullet and poggies and when there was time, we would
toss those fish to the disadvantaged/crippled birds.
Brush
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