Brown pelicans washing up dead and dying on California beaches
Paul Rogers
San Jose Mercury News
02/15/2010
In an ocean mystery that is baffling marine biologists, at least 1,000 brown pelicans have turned up dead or in distress along California beaches during the past month, with hundreds overwhelming wildlife rescue centers from the Bay Area to San Diego.
The popular birds, whose wing spans can reach 8 feet and who dramatically dive into ocean waters to scoop up fish, are widely reported to be hungry and disoriented.
They also appear to have some kind of substance — possibly a naturally occurring material from a red tide or other ocean conditions — that is causing their feathers to lose insulation properties, exposing the birds' skin to cold water and hypothermia.
"It's a mystery. It's tragic. It's very sad to see these poor birds suffer," said Dana Michaels, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game. "I hope we can get to the bottom of it. There's something really endearing about pelicans."
Over the past week, the department announced it is pooling resources with wildlife rescue centers from around the state to try to determine the cause.
Starting in mid-January, many of the birds began showing up in Southern California with problems. Reports of distressed pelicans have become common all the way to the Oregon border, with dozens found in places such as Del Monte Beach in Monterey, Main Beach in Santa Cruz and several spots along the San Francisco coast.
Many of the Northern California pelicans are being taken to Solano County, to the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia.
"I've been doing wildlife rehabbing for 40 years,'' said Jay Holcomb, director of the center. "With pelicans, this is the worst I've ever seen."
Harmful residue
Last week the center treated about 100 pelicans, and its other hospital in San Pedro, near Los Angeles, is caring for 200. The birds are gobbling down 1,000 pounds of mackerel and other fish a day, at a cost of more than $1,000, causing the nonprofit agency to run short of money.
The odd thing, Holcomb said, is that while the birds don't appear to be fouled — like with crude oil after an oil spill — they do have a harmful residue on their feathers.
"When we wash them you can tell something is coming off. The water is discolored, like when you wash really dirty clothes," he said. "That's not normal."
The good news, said Holcomb, is that if the birds are brought in soon enough, they can be cleaned, fed and restored to health in two weeks, then released. About 60 percent of the pelicans taken to the two centers are surviving.
Scientists have several theories about possible causes of the problem.
This is an El Niño year, a condition that makes Pacific waters warmer than normal. In past El Niño years, pelicans have had problems, said Michaels of Fish and Game, possibly because the sardines and anchovies they eat have moved to different locations as parts of the ocean warmed. Also, she noted, there is less upwelling — cold water moving to the surface, bringing plankton, small marine creatures and other sea life that sardines and anchovies eat.
