They came in starved, on the brink of death and in dire need of help. But after weeks of being fed and cared for, several California brown pelicans were ready to go back into the wild on Thursday, May 23.
Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center officials released the 10 brown pelicans off the beach in Corona del Mar – the birds spread their wings while standing on the rock jetty, then soared off over the ocean as they got a second chance at life.
The release is a hopeful sign for the pelican population that has been struggling for survival in recent weeks, with a huge spike in dead and emaciated birds flooding care centers up and down the California coastline.
“I am so happy for them,” said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Huntington Beach center. “The staff, the volunteers have been working long, hard hours to help these birds get to this point. It’s just the beginning of many.”
An estimated 213 birds had been found struggling across Orange County since the start of the month –, an unusually high number – but about half of those birds died either on the way to the care center or within hours of arriving, McGuire said.
The ones that did survive needed a hefty mix of food and vitamins, sending the care center scrambling for funds and fish to nurse them back to health.
The community answered the call for help, with people donating money so the center could buy bait fish to feed the pelicans, which were gobbling up an estimated 2,000 pounds every four days.
And, Redondo Beach Sportfishing and Bait Company stepped up, donating about a half ton of bait fish and giving a steep discount for supply, McGuire said.
Read also: Starving, injured pelicans being treated at San Pedro bird rescue center
While there are fewer birds coming in now, there are some trickling in and plenty at the center still needing care, McGuire said. “There’s so many hungry ones out there.”
But as of Thursday, there are 10 fewer mouths to feed, with the hope that the released birds will be able to forage for food on their own.
When the pelicans are brought in, they are color tagged so they can be released near where they were found, McGuire said. Corona del Mar is an ideal place to release the birds found in the Newport Beach area because the harbor entrance is plentiful with bait fish.
More than 800 birds been brought into care centers throughout California since late April, with 466 currently being cared for and 396 that either died naturally after being brought in or had to be euthanized because they were so ill, said Tim Daly, spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Stranding events have been documented periodically along the California coast in a variety of seabird species, according to CDFW. A similar pelican stranding event occurred in spring 2022, with nearly 800 pelicans admitted into wildlife rehabilitation facilities and 394 returned to the wild.
The reason behind the latest surge in starvation and deaths is unknown, but the theory is that storms in April caused choppy waters with high winds and poor visibility, and the pelicans were not able to dive deep into the ocean as they normally would because of the rough conditions, Daly said.
The birds typically dive to depths of about 6 feet to forage on bait fish.
Testing has been determined the birds are not being impacted by a disease, Daly added.
McGuire said tests have been conducted locally as well, with negative results for bacterial or viral issues.
All care centers are on high alert for a red tide, which can cause domoic acid blooms that typically sicken several coastal species, from pelicans to marine mammals such as sea lions and dolphins.
For now, several pelicans cared for in recent weeks are ready for release, McGuire said. They start to look antsy, flying up to a skybox at the care center to look out toward the beach, she said.
“They just want to go,” she said. “They don’t want to stay in a cage, so we have to give them their freedom, they want their life back. It’s time. If we could keep them until we thought everything was safe out there, we’d probably never let them go, because it’s not a perfect world out there.”
The hope is to release more, week by week, as the remaining pelicans in care are nursed back to health, she said.
With the holiday weekend, officials are asking beachgoers to keep an eye out for pelicans that may look sick or in need of help.
Do not touch, harass, attempt to feed or take photographs with pelicans, CDFW officials warn, and do not attempt to remove any fishing lines or embedded fishing hooks from entangled birds. Instead, alert lifeguards or call the animal control in the area the bird is spotted and they will transport the animal to the nearest care center.
For more information on the care center, visit wwccoc.org.
