On Apr 25, 2012, at 7:09 PM, Francis Drouillard wrote: > On Apr 25, 2012, at 3:26 PM, Bruce Johnson wrote: > >> Those eyes are kinda piercing… > > Our campfire is about 400 feet from an osprey nest high atop a magnificent > redwood. We'd hear the chicks' loud peeping through the dense redwoods, but > we could never see them. One day I found a small opening through the trees > that looked right at the nest. I set up a transit to get a better look only > to see one of the adults staring at me through that same small opening. They > truly have incredible eyesight. > >> >> I also like the pelicans. Ages ago, we visited San Francisco and on one of >> the beaches our friend took us to we watched a sizeable flock of them >> skimming along, very pterodactylish. I have some pics squirreled away in >> boxes at home...this was very much pre-digital photography in my household. > > We've some friends that are expert birders. Apparently, pelicans don't die of > old age -- they go eventually go blind as a result of diving then starve to > death.
Apparently this is a commonly repeated myth. Did you know that pelicans go blind from the trauma their eyes sustain when diving for food? Then, being unable to hunt, they die of starvation. Several readers recently approached me with this bit of (mis)information; a result of the periodic resurfacing of an unfounded myth postulated by ill-informed eco tour guides. Unfortunately, while doing research for this article I also found the same misinformation repeated on alleged “educational” websites. <http://www.allatsea.net/caribbean/brown-pelicans---myths-and-facts-part-i/> Another page on the same site reports that they have air sacs padding their bodies to cushion the impact. Also, <http://www.scienceworld.ca/swog/do-pelicans-go-blind-from-diving> However, it is the only pelican species (there are 8) to dive for its food. <http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/brown_pelican/id> I'm going to Santa Monica next week and I hope to get some pictures of them. There is a bird refuge down the coast where there large squadrons of pelicans. Unfortunately the last time I was there I did not have my camera. -- Brian -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "StrataList-OT" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/stratalist-ot?hl=en.
