First documented nesting of American White Pelicans in Ohio
Ohio has a new breeding bird species. Observers discovered and documented American White Pelicans nesting on a small island in Sandusky Bay last spring and summer.
Bruce Buckingham and Laura Kearns, of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, wrote about their finding in a recent issue of the Ohio Journal of Science.
On May 10, 2023, while conducting the annual Herring Gull census at Turning Point Island in Erie County, Buckingham and Kearns observed an adult pelican standing in an area of downed trees about 30 meters away.
Using a spotting scope, they observed at least 4 nests with either eggs or young.
On May 24, Ohio Division of Wildlife staff conducted the annual census of colonial tree-nesting waterbirds on Turning Point Island. Six adults and a minimum of 12 juvenile pelicans were observed.
“As 2 eggs are a typical clutch size, we estimate that at least 6 nests were present on the island,” the authors wrote in the Ohio Journal of Science paper.
During the last visit to Turning Point on July 15, 2023, all pelicans had left the island and both young and adult birds were seen on a nearby break wall.
The authors noted that the nesting in Ohio is not unexpected. American White Pelicans have nested on other sites in Lake Erie in Michigan and Ontario, Canada.
“The discovery and documentation of a new breeding species in the state is a crucial first step in understanding the natural history of a species and its consequent needs for management and conservation,” the authors said.
Because the pelicans are abundant elsewhere in their range, they are not necessarily qualified for endangered status in Ohio. But the Ohio Division of Wildlife is considering adding the pelican as a “species of special interest.”
A species of special interest is one that “occurs periodically and is capable of breeding in Ohio,” the Division of Wildlife said. “It is at the edge of a larger, contiguous range with viable population(s) within the core of its range.”
Other bird species to recently expand their breeding range into Ohio include the Common Raven and Black-necked Stilt. Both are listed as species of special interest.
“Confirmation of breeding marks the start of a new era of the American White Pelican in Ohio,” the authors stated. “Expansion of the pelican into the state as a breeder provides excitement in the birding community and indicates the rebound of the species.”
Buckingham cautioned birders not to approach the island too closely to observe or photograph the pelicans.
“One important thing is that white pelicans will abandon a site if they are disturbed during nesting. We avoided the area that they were nesting because of this,” he said.
“I would hate to lose this site because people wanted to get ‘the perfect picture.’”