Where Have All the Pelicans Gone?
This time of year, I almost always get asked the same question: where have all the pelicans gone? For many of us that frequent beaches and coastal bayous, we enjoy watching pelicans and the many other coastal birds that live there. It wouldn’t be the coast without the sounds and sights of Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls that are hard to miss most of the time.
But in late April and early May they seem to disappear. Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, and Snowy Egrets also seem to vanish. For those asking me the question, they often express some level of alarm and wonder if some untold crisis has occurred. But alas, it is nothing to worry about – it is just breeding season for these birds, that do not nest on the coast.
Brown Pelicans require isolated marsh islands that restrict many of the mainland predators that would limit their success, like racoons. They share these places with many other species, like Great Egrets, White Ibis and more exotic birds like Roseate Spoonbills and Frigate Birds. Although these places are not found in Mississippi, several are nearby.
Breton Island Sound on the eastern edge of the Mississippi River’s delta is one of the largest of these areas. Closer to the mainland are the Biloxi Marsh Islands south of the Pearl River and Galliard and Cat Islands in Mobile Bay. For my friend Robert Smith, the Biloxi Marsh Islands have become a season destination to photograph the large numbers and kinds of birds that nest there, especially in late spring.
Breeding season for these birds means they travel to these remote places, leaving their regular coastal haunts. Left behind are older birds, past their prime, and the immature birds. And yet, our coastal beaches do support breeding birds, like Least Terns and Black Skimmers, that nest on open sandy beaches.
Unless you have a boat, these areas are inaccessible, and yet Robert and a few other great photographers take trips out to the Biloxi Marsh Island every spring and return with spectacular images of the rich diversity of birds and other wildlife. These trips are made possible by one or more of the boats operated through Shore Thing Charters (https://www.shorethingcharters.com/). A fleet of seven independently operated bay boats offer professionally led fishing trips in coastal waters of Mississippi and Louisiana.
But thanks to Robert Smith and Sonny Schindler, who coordinates the cooperative, birding trips to Biloxi Marsh and Cat Island are not available and provide excellent opportunities for birders and photographers. Robert coordinates these trips and photography classes one or more times a year, depending on interest. For more information, contact Robert Smith ([email protected]).
But offshore breeding colonies are not the only places to see large numbers of breeding birds in spring. The Boneyard Lake oxbow, that is part of the Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area, located southwest of Lucedale, is one of the largest colonial nesting sites in this area, supporting White Ibis, Anhinga, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Cattle Egrets. As for Great Blue Herons, look for smaller colonies of a few to a dozen pairs in the tops of pine trees in isolated areas. The site of these gangly birds sitting on their nest made up of a wispy pile of sticks is a site to see.
So, fear not, pelicans will be back soon.
Hope to see you in our great outdoors!
*Photos courtesy of Robert Smith.