Have you noticed that there are at least thirty pelicans on the other side of the river every day now that the river is down? They have all come for the free smorgasbord of fish – sluggish from all the fresh water in the river. However as the flooding has occurred during school holidays, people are disappointed that very few pelicans are deigning to come to the feeding!
Our tasty morsels of store-bought mulies don’t cut the mustard!They are sitting over there, replete and happy. Occasionally a group will show off with a languid fly-past. At least it is obvious to the visitors that these pelicans are not reliant upon humans feeding them. We had a great response to our call for more pelican feeders recently. Jess, Ocean and Sharon we thank you!
Full marks go to Rick the Ranger and Bill who successfully caught an injured pelican and removed the hooks and line that was wrapped around its bill. This is one of the reasons we feed the pelicans in the mornings – so we can be aware of and help any injured birds. Man is their worst predator unfortunately and although most injuries are accidental, birds sometimes arrive at the feeding with hooks, lines and lures caught in their wings, legs or bills and we are on hand to assist.
Should you see a pelican in distress contact us at 8.45am at Pelican Feeding area or give Ric Davey or the National Park rangers a ring.
Kalbarri Ranger (Ric) 0429 341 203
DPAW office 9937 1140 mobile 0417 181 314