23 Brown Pelicans Released After Massive OC Beach 'Stranding' Event

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — On a foggy Orange County Friday, volunteers, supporters, and friends of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center of Orange County gathered for the sendoff of over 20 rehabilitated brown pelicans following over a month of care.

Since April, wildlife and bird rescue groups have worked up and down the coast of California to save a massive number of stranded pelicans on the shorelines. According to the care center's executive director, Debbie McGuire, experts are still researching what caused the birds to become malnourished. Though these nearly two dozen brown pelicans were considered ready to return to the wild, hundreds of the seabirds died during the starvation event despite there being plenty of food available. Other birds have not been affected, experts say.

"While we do not have an explanation for the mass stranding, if they stayed out on the beaches, the chances they would starve and die were very high," Dr. Wood of the center said. "The birds were hungry, dehydrated and anemic." They are a mix of juvenile and full-grown birds with big bills, broad wings, and bodies that make "plunge-diving" look easy, according to National Geographic. The birds can swoop from 60 feet above the ocean's surface and often live up to 40 years of age.

Oiled Wildlife Care Network specialists Kyra Mills and Sam Christie helped with banding the brown pelicans, who were ready for release at both the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. According to OWCN, several of the pelicans were also fitted with an electronic leg band with cellular tracking technology as part of a project led by Pacifica Eco Logic to monitor their movement and their survival.

"We still have 78 pelicans in our care to feed, at least until they are ready to be freed once more," McGuire said.

In total this year, the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center has admitted 215 Brown Pelicans due to starvation, McGuire said. "The exact cause of why hundreds of these birds 'stranded' on our beaches is still being investigated.

The birds are in what experts call "starvation mode." They had critically low body temperatures and were suffering dehydration, emaciation, and a slew of parasites.

At the center, they receive fluids and medication. Tons of fish brought most of the pelicans back from the brink of demise, and several of them are finally ready for release.

McGuire said many of the pelicans in the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center's care came in with secondary issues, like fishing gear injuries. Their radiographs showed skeletal abnormalities, and their other afflictions mean they need more care. They aren’t ready to be released just yet.

"Thanks to the hardworking volunteers and staff at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center and donations received from the public," McGuire said. "Donations to our non-profit would help us continue our mission of saving lives like those of these Brown Pelicans."

A $45 donation provides food and care for one pelican for the whole day, McGuire said. We currently have 74 Pelican patients. Donations can be made on our web page at www.wwccoc.org or through this link: snwbl.it/CKBIl5.

If you see a sick brown pelican, be sure and call the WWCC.

This is the second such stranding incident in two years, and those studying its cause look to changes in weather patterns, winds, low visibility, and other factors.

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