Kip’s Comments - April 4, 2025 — LadagePhotography.com

It’s a Miracle (and More)

A couple of nights ago a fellow outdoorsman observed multiple American white pelicans hit power lines and drop hard on the bridge below. He reached out to me about the incident and what might be done, if anything. After his work yesterday he confirmed there was one lone pelican on the water not far from the powerlines. A lone pelican tends to be unusual and concerning.

Suspecting the worst, I requested permission to enter the pond, recruited a volunteer to assist, confirmed rehab availability, and set this morning around 8:00 to capture the bird.

As I slowly moved toward the pelican it was obvious the large bird was watching me and soon it was swimming away from me. Just a few minutes later I was close to the pelican with the bird swimming away as I studied it through my camera lens to look for injuries.

Then, unexpectedly, the pelican began flapping its wings and took flight. It was a miracle… the injured pelican could fly! Not only could it get in the air, but the bird had no trouble flying out of sight, probably to where a hundred or more other pelicans had gathered.

As my pelican wrangling partner said, “maybe it just need a little motivation” to get moving. We are all fine with not having to rescue this bird. Thanks for caring and the notification!

Later this morning I checked out bird life at George Wyth State Park. I saw and photographed many species. Two species caught my eye - red-breasted mergansers and Bonapate’s gulls. This morning was the first time to see either of those species for 2025.