Okay I have been seeing something over the last three weeks that has me baffled. On our drive to Scottbluff we noticed something strange. There is a small wetland area next to the highway where Canadian geese and ducks love to hang out all spring. Here's where it gets weird. I looked over three weeks ago to look at the geese, (No, I wasn't driving!) and instead of the normal geese and ducks, I saw nothing but these big white birds. I thought to myself...."Those look like Pelicans!" Thinking I was seeing things, I dismissed the idea. I tried to convince myself they were Sandhill Cranes.
The next day, my mom and I drove the same highway. Again I looked over and I swear I saw Pelicans again! My mom then looked and said, "Are those Pelicans?!" So..I wasn't seeing things. Everyday I passed there were more and more swimming on that pond.
Here's my question....First of all, do you know of any species of bird that would live in Nebraska and looks like a Pelican? Second, if they are Pelicans why are they in Nebraska? Thirdly, how are they surviving the snow we keep getting??? Fourth, should we be worried that the Pelicans (if that's what they are) are here instead of say...California? :dontknow:
This one has me baffled. I lived in Nebraska for 25 almost 26 years and have NEVER seen any bird that looks like this. I so wish I could get a picture. I'll try and take a picture of them on Monday, if they are still there. I'm not a biologist or anything but last I knew Pelicans stayed pretty close to the shore. :thinik:
This is really long, I apologize, but I just have to know if anyone else has seen them in weird areas or if someone knows more about them than me.
Ten years ago when I moved to Des Moines, I was very surprised to see brown pelicans on the Des Moines River. Last year on a trip to Minnesota we saw many white pelicans on the lakes there. There are a couple of towns near Des Moines that have pelican festivals when the white pelicans are migrating in the spring or fall, so I suppose seeing them in Nebraska shouldn't be a big surprise as there are major migratory flyways that cross Iowa and Nebraska. Climate change may have something to do with seeing them in a new area as well.
I guess I just never realized Pelicans would migrate through here. That's really interesting. I think they have just started in my part of the state because everyone around here was quite surprised to see them here. The local Games and Parks office told me when I called to ask that they think they are here because of the climate change and because of food scarcity and habit descruction in their native areas. That makes sense to me.
Pelicans now living in Nebraska - anyone left out these who still thinks global warming is some kind of left-wing silliness??
Karen
Proud to be a liberal!
(Ouch, ow, ow, don't hit me! I'm not a pacifist, ya' know!!) :wink:
That's what I was thinking Karen! :apls: Although I'm not a liberal myself, I'm not ignorant enough to think that Global Warming isn't real. So see, the liberal and the cnservative can agree about something. :grin: