Brown Pelicans at Patagonia Lake/Amanda is Everywhere

[Guest oneshot]

There have been two Brown Pelicans at Patagonia Lake for at least 3 weeks now, the last couple of days I've only seen one though...??? A guy that saw my CWT.com sticker told me he had done an Owl count with Amanda, and these are the first Pelicans he has seen in Santa Cruz County in 30years of birding... Guess the monsoons realy blew them off course...

[AZLance]

I didn't get pictures, but I saw a dozen Goulds Turkeys at Patagonia lake today...

 

Any luck with the fish?

[rancilio]

Neat. I just looked in the Arizona Breeding Brid Atlas and did not see any mention of pelicans. A quick google search and a bit of reading got me a little caught up with pelicans in Arizona. Printed records go back to early 1900. A 1937 article documents an invasion. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v039n04/p0175-p0175.pdf

 

Thanks for posting the photos.

[Elkhunter1Jr]

awesome pics I've never seen one before thanks for sharing them

[elkhunter]

Found a dead brown pelican at Parker canyon lake in 03, that was the year of a big drought and pelicans were landing on concrete with mirage, read an article there were hundreds dead, pretty cool ,I found this one near Parker creek on the sidewalk, u can see that it landed on the sidewalk and smashed his body

[reganranch]

That is awesome and a great article too!

[Pine Donkey]

I think the two at Patagonia with the big storm that came on July 3rd.

[rcdinaz]

Good pics!

 

There are some at the preserve at the end of Tempe Town Lake right now also. I always thought San Carlos was wierd because we see them there along with a whole mess of white pelicans as well. They are big birds when you get close!

[bigorange]

Watched one diving for fish this weekend while swimming with the kids...very cool.

[azpackhorse]

I've seen them there before. About 15 years ago there were a couple that hung out on the roof of the store there.

[Outdoor Writer]

Here's a photo of one at Lake Pleasant. It was actually taken a few years before what the copyright shows.

 

[azpackhorse]

just a few minutes ago a guy at work here said he seen one in the middle of I-19 yesterday on his drive home!

[Coues Kid]

Every year there is at least 1 down there that gets blown off course.

[billrquimby]

I agree with pro kid. Every year, after our summer storms begin, brown pelicans show up all over southern Arizona. For years, the Desert Museum used to collect them and release them in San Diego. Don't know if they still are doing that.

 

Bill Quimby

[trophyhnter]

I was in San Diego fishing half day offshore this past weekend and there were plently of people that catch pelicans (they ate the flyline sardines we were fishing with)! Big birds!