POPULATION NUMBERS AND TRENDS 



Eastern subspecies 



The Florida population is stable with an adult 

 breeding population of 6,705 to 7,690 pairs in 

 1968-1970 (Williams and Martin 1968, 1970) and 

 6,000 to 8,000 pairs for the last 6 years. The esti- 

 mated total population in Florida is less than 

 30,000 birds (Schriber 1979). 



Blus et al. (1974a) state that the South Caro- 

 lina population declined from 5,000 to 1,000 

 pairs by the late 1960's. 



Schreiber and Risebrough (1972) give a de- 

 tailed breakdown of the status of the brown peli- 

 can population in each State. In North Carolina, 

 the population on Shell Castle Island (northern- 

 most breeding colony on the Atlantic coast) has 

 fluctuated between 1 1 and 100 from 1960 through 

 1967. Fewer than 30 young were believed fledged 

 in 1970. In South Carolina, colonies are found on 

 the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge and at Deveaux 

 Bank south of Charleston. At Cape Romain Re- 

 fuge, populations have fluctuated drastically from 

 year to year. The Deveaux Bank colony has un- 

 dergone a 90% reduction in the last 10 years, due 

 perhaps to much of the bank's washing away. 

 Brown pelicans have probably never nested in 

 Georgia. There has been no nesting in Alabama 

 since 1900, and in 1956-57, the local nonbreeding 

 population declined sharply with no recovery as 

 of 1972. In Louisiana, the once large population, 

 estimated at between 75,000 and 85,000 (Arthur 

 1931), had decreased to four individuals by 1960, 

 according to Audubon Christmas Bird Count esti- 

 mates. Although Florida pelicans were released in 

 Louisiana from 1968 to the 1970's and some 

 were reported nesting, no native pelicans have 

 bred since 1966 (Schreiber 1979). In Texas, fewer 

 than 10 pairs nested in 1969 and 1970. The total 

 population in Louisiana and Texas is now esti- 

 mated to be under 500 (Schreiber 1979). 



Population status is essentially unrecorded in 

 eastern Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central Am- 

 erica (Schreiber and Risebrough 1972). 



California subspecies 



About 1,000 to 1,500 adults were breeding in 

 California in 1972; the California population has 

 been declining 14% to 18% per year. The minimum 

 population in Mexico and California was estimated 

 at 100,000 (Fish and WHdHfe Service 1973). 

 Anderson et al. (1972b) estimated 21,000 resi- 



dents on the California coast and somewhere near 

 62,000 breeding in the Gulf of California. 



On Santa Barbara Island, California, between 

 300 and 400 birds were breeding July 1912. On 

 Anacapa Islands, California, there were a large 

 number of birds which apparently were not 

 breeding on 5 July 1912 (Wright and Snyder 

 1913). There had been at least 500 nests there in 

 June 1910 (Willett 1912, 1933). WUlett (1910) 

 counted 5 nests containing young on Prince Islet 

 off San Miguel Island on 15 June 1910. 



Wright (1909) and Stephens (1921) found 

 large colonies with hundreds of nests on Los 

 Coronados, Baja California, in early 1900's. In the 

 early 1940's there were still several thousand pairs 

 nesting there, according to Lewis Walker (in 

 Schreiber and DeLong 1969). In 1958, pehcans 

 were present in large numbers on Los Coronados 

 and nesting was observed by Monte Kirven (m 

 Schreiber and DeLong 1969). During the 1968 

 breeding season, on four occasions between April 

 and June, only a few birds were present and none 

 were nesting there (Schreiber and DeLong 1969). 

 There was no nesting in 1963 (Keith et al. 1970). 



For Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, 

 and San Nicolos, records are scanty but indicate 

 that in the early 1900's irregular nesting (not 

 every year) occurred on all of them (WUlett 1912; 

 Howell 1917). No active nests were found on 

 those islands at any time in 1968 (Schreiber and 

 DeLong 1969). 



Historically, Santa Barbara Island has been 

 second only to Anacapa as the most important 

 pelican rookery on the Channel Islands. In 1912 

 several hundred birds bred there (Howell 1917). 

 On 19 Aug. 1967, there were 400 to 500 on Sur- 

 tU Rock just off Santa Barbara, where they nested 

 that year. In 1968, 4 adults and 33 immatures 

 were present on 4 April and 11 on 12 May but 

 there was no nesting; nor was late nesting reported 

 by the National Park Service. On Anacapa, breed- 

 ing was first reported on all three islets in 1899 

 (Schreiber and DeLong 1969). In 1939, Bond 

 (1942) reported about 2,000 pairs nesting on the 

 West islet, Anacapa, which would indicate at least 

 as many, if not more, birds present on that islet 

 than found by previous observers. The largest 

 number recorded for East Islet, in the Anacapa 

 group is about 500 nests, found 5 June 1910 by 

 Willett (1912). Pelicans nested on West Anacapa 

 at least up until 1968, but not on East or Middle 

 Anacapa (Bond 1942; Banks 1966; and Schreiber 

 and DeLong 1969). On 20 March 1969, R. W. 



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