Hi Wayne, Those would have been brown pelicans, the adults of which would be bringing fish to their large nestlings on that mid-August date. This, therefore, is not likely an example of avian altruism.
Jeff Davis Fresno, CA On Nov 3, 2011, at 11:56 AM, Wayne Tyson wrote: > Ecolog: > > Here is an example of such behavior. I'll appreciate comments and references. > > On August 15, the Santo Tomás came to a medium-sized island they called "La > Asunción," after the Ascension of the Virgin Mary. Nubbled with sand and > gravel, the island looked made of plaster. The patina, it turned out, came > from the excrement of pelicans. > > Captain Peguero and Father Ascensión took a scouting party ashore. They found > a pelican flapping one wing. The other was tied to its body. Although it > couldn't move, piles of sardines lay around its webbed feet. Father Ascensión > realized that "as he could not catch them by reason of his captivity," other > pelicans had brought the fish, "so merciful are these birds." > > Ascensión also realized that the trapped bird was a native trick for fishing > without getting wet. Once pelicans had brought enough, natives would leap > from a bush, chase the birds away, and "obtain sufficient fish without great > labor." > > Ascensión released the bird. > > > > Here's a link to the (secondary) source: > http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/oct/26/unforgettable/ > > > > WT > > > > PS: My apologies to the individual with whom I corresponded several months > ago on this subject; I can't find the correspondence in my files, and I don't > remember his or her name.
