I first started hearing about pelicans nesting in Wisconsin several years ago. Over time, sightings of the birds became more and more numerous. Last summer my sister even spotted one on her family’s golf course about 25 miles from here.
This year it seems like there are American White Pelicans everywhere. A huge flock of them was even seen circling over the south side of Madison a few weeks ago. You wouldn’t have known they were there if you weren’t looking for them. Pelicans soar very high in the sky—sometimes at levels so high they can actually look down on soaring Red-tailed Hawks.
There’s a wildlife refuge about 65 miles north of Madison. The number of pelican nests there and in the Green Bay area totaled 907 in 2003. Last year that number had climbed to 4,123. For a bird that’s considered “moderately threatened,” that’s great news.
I saw my first-ever Wisconsin pelicans this spring in a little village near the Wisconsin River about 25 miles north of Madison. It was thought they might be migrating through, but 6 weeks later a flock of them is still hanging around.
American White Pelicans prefer dining on small fish. They breed once each season and there are usually 2 eggs in a clutch. A pelican chick needs approximately 150 pounds of food from the time it hatches to the time it’s ready to search for its own food. Yikes!
The birds travel in large flocks. In flight you can identify them by their huge white wings and contrasting black flight feathers.
