33) Pelican Feeding

When our grand daughters come and visit us one of the things they like to do is to go to “The Entrance” and watch the Pelicans being fed. Every afternoon at 3.30 a team of volunteers bring fish to the waters edge and feed these big birds. The local pelicans obviously have all got watches

as about an hour before feeding time one can see them starting to circle overhead and swooping in to stand in the shallow water to wait for the meal. It is amusing to watch they way they land in the water. They remind me of large aircraft, they lower their big webbed feet as if they are lowering their undercarriage then they seem to take a few steps along the top of the water before lowering the huge bodies into the sea. Soon the people start to arrive at the feeding platform to watch the funny birds being fed. When the young helpers arrive with their buckets of fish the pelicans get up onto the platform and form a semicircle around the feeder. As fish are

thrown to them another one of the team of helpers tell the spectators about the pelicans and how the feeding tradition started over twenty years ago. They tell of how one of the staff from a local fish and chip shop started to throw out the scraps into the sea at the end of the day. The

Pelicans became so used to it that if the staff were late with their meal the birds would cross the road and wait outside the shop for their expected feed.

One of the main objectives of the feeding is to keep an eye

on the birds’ condition. They often get entangled with fish hooks and fishing line and when this is spotted the bird will be removed from the water and the offending objects removed. Mostly, once this has been done they are returned to the water and they are fine, but if the injury is more serious they are taken to a local vet for further treatment
The Pelican feeding is sponsored by local businesses and collection tins are passed around among the public to help with the costs. When the food is just about all gone a demonstration is given of how clever the Pelicans are. It is said that they can understand everything that is said to them. The girl who is feeding them, while holding a big fish in her hand asks them “Do you like fish?” and waves the fish up and down. Every Pelican has got its eyes glued to that tasty fish and as the fish goes up and down so does every Pelican head. “Yes, yes, yes” they seem to be saying. The

next question is “Do you want me to give it to the sea gulls?” and of course this time she waves the fish back and forward. The children all love that bit.
Once all the food is gone their hostess claps her hands and they know that they won’t get any more so off they all fly but they know that there will be more fish the next day and they will be back.

What a peculiar bird is a Pelican

His beak can hold more than his belly can.