We have been seeing lots of American White Pelicans on the Arkansas River this year. I see them almost every time I ride my bike across the Big Dam Bridge. A couple of things struck me about the pelicans this year. There seems to be more of them, and they have been here a lot longer than usual. I recently stopped on the bridge took a picture.
White pelicans overwinter along the gulf coast and in Florida. They breed in Canada and Minnesota west to California. We see them here in the spring as they migrate north to their breeding grounds. The American White Pelican has the second widest wing span of any bird in North American behind the California Condor. I think it is a great looking bird.
