NATURALIST'S 



NOTEBOOK 



North Carolina's then-small pelican 

 population was largely unaffected by DDT, 

 according to Lee. But brown pelicans began 

 coming to the North Carolina coast after DDT 

 was banned — and they came in record numbers. 



From a Flock of Few 



So why are brown pelicans coming to North 

 Carolina in droves? 



To explain the northward spread of pelicans, 

 some suggest global warming. However, Lee 

 says, it's not that simple. While brown pelicans 



— historically southern birds — are moving 

 northward, traditionally northern birds also are 

 settling down south. 



From a national perspective, weather has 

 not affected pelicans' expansion north. However, 

 North Carolina has been experiencing a string of 

 warmer winters, according to James Parnell, 

 emeritus professor of biology at the University of 

 North Carolina at Wilmington. "Pelicans have a 

 tough time in harsh winter weather," Parnell says. 

 "The fish go deeper, and the pelicans can't catch 

 them." 



Parnell has witnessed North Carolina's 

 colonization by pelicans since the 1970s, when 

 the only known nesting flock of brown pelicans 

 was on a small island in Ocracoke Inlet. "Then a 

 little colony on the Cape Fear River started in the 

 early 1980s," Parnell recalls. 



Dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway 

 leaves huge piles of deposited sand known as 

 dredge spoil islands. Six to 10 years after 

 dredging, these islands had accumulated ample 

 vegetation — dense grasses and low, thick shrubs 



— to provide ideal nesting sites for brown 

 pelicans. 



The creation of dredge spoil islands is a 

 leading contributor to pelicans' arrival in North 

 Carolina. In the late 1970s, Parnell and Robert 

 Soots, who was then on the faculty at Campbell 

 College, began North Carolina Sea Grant studies 

 of the increasing number of species on dredge 

 spoil islands in the Cape Fear region as vegetation 

 flourished. "We looked at the whole ecosystem, 

 especially the plants and the birds," Parnell says. 

 Later studies focused more closely on the bird 

 populations on the islands, including pelicans. 



Lack of predation is an equally important 



benefit of nesting on spoil islands. 

 Because young pelicans have a long 

 dependency on the nest, they make 

 great targets for raccoons, foxes and 

 even household dogs and cats. But 

 these predators usually do not 

 inhabit spoil islands. This makes 

 surviving five weeks of dependency 

 on the nest — ordinarily the most 

 perilous — a breeze for young 

 pelicans on the islands. 



Pelicans Aplenty 



Human disturbance is a 

 leading threat to pelicans. The North 

 Carolina Audubon Society is aware 

 of the problem of human threat and 

 works actively to protect the birds. 

 Walker Golder, deputy director of 

 the North Carolina Audubon 

 Society, explains their role in pelican 

 conservation: "Another important 

 factor in the success of pelicans is 

 the protection of nesting sites. 

 Because of the long dependency on 

 the nest, they are very sensitive to 

 human disturbance." 



Sanctuaries are 

 critical in protecting 

 the young. Audubon 

 sanctuaries at 

 Beacon Island in 

 Hyde County and 

 Wainwright Island 

 in Carteret County 

 are fabulous nesting 

 sites, according to 

 Golder. But don't 

 include these 

 sanctuaries on your 

 vacation sightseeing 

 list. The sites are 

 posted, patrolled and 

 strictly off-limits 

 from March through 

 October to protect 

 those young pelicans 

 until they are able 

 to fly. 



28 SPRING 2002 



