The word “return” has many different meanings in the English language. In the context of the Brown Pelican, it applies to several of these different definitions; for the purposes of this article I will refer to two of them. First, the Brown Pelican has returned as a species, its population has bounced back in the last few decades. Almost ninety percent of those birds that nest on islands near California were decimated from the consequences of the wide use of DDT. Since the ban of DDT and the establishment of the Endangered Species Act, the West Coast Brown Pelican has seen a great comeback; although they are still on the endangered species list. The pelicans’ population has rebounded, or returned. According to “A Birder’s Guide to Coastal Washington” by Bob Morse, the brown pelican “seems to be increasing in numbers and length of stay in Washington.” That’s good news for bird fans in our area.

From the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center there is a fantastic view of the mouth of the Columbia River. It’s a great place to gaze at the winter storms come in, observe the deer munching on the edge of the cliff, or watch birds; lots of them. I couldn’t tell you when the Brown Pelicans left last fall, it’s not something I recall noting. So it is with many things in life, you just don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone. In the case of the pelicans; I forgot what I was missing until they returned. Case in point, I saw my first pelicans of the year last Friday afternoon, two of them. I was so excited I walked through the building exclaiming, “The pelicans are back, the pelicans are back!” When I came back to work on Monday and saw dozens more it reminded me of why I love these birds so much. There are other fun birds to watch, of course, but the pelicans top my personal list of favorites.

Cape Disappointment offers ideal habitat for many different kinds of birds; from raptors to surf birds to diving birds. The rocky cliff below the center is a nesting site for hundreds, perhaps thousands of cormorants. The sleek Pigeon Gullimonts have been seen darting to the edge of the cape and back. The Surf Scoters have been riding the waves for the last couple of weeks; their colored faces revealing their identity. The turkey vulture has returned recently as well, soaring high above the cape. All of these birds are interesting to observe for different reasons, but the pelican has to be one of the most entertaining. I was up at North Head the other day and I asked the volunteers working there if they had seen any pelicans. They hadn’t. Just minutes later among the lines upon lines of cormorants flying out over the water, there they were. Three pelicans were flying in formation as part of the “v” of cormorants. There’s always a first for everything.

The Brown Pelican has a wing span of around four feet; this allows them to glide for long periods of time interrupted by a few flaps here and there. Like many soaring birds, the pelican is attracted to the thermal wind currents produced from wind off the ocean sweeping upwards from the cape. This is one reason why the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is a great place to watch these awesome birds. Scanning the river’s mouth from the center’s viewing room there are times when you can see multiple lines of pelicans gliding over the water’s surface. It’s not often we get to look down on birds. Besides their entertaining flying habits, the pelicans’ most distinguishing characteristic has to be their tremendous pouched bill. The Brown Pelican dives with its’ bill wide open until it expands to the size of a beach ball. After the bird resurfaces, the water remaining in its’ bill is let out, leaving only the fish to swallow. Long lines, huge bills, large wingspans all make the pelican a bird of superlatives. If you enjoy watching birds and their antics I invite you to come up to the cape sometime to catch some great views of this awesome bird.