During Minnesota’s Governor’s Fishing Opener, Green Lake was filled with anglers, cameras, onlookers, dignitaries, politicians and me. All expected. Although, I was quite surprised to see so many American white pelicans.
In the past, the giant white birds and their brilliantly orange bills, once-rare to Minnesota, were a threatened species. From 1878 to 1968, Minnesota had no reports of nesting pelicans. Today, there are estimates of 22,000 pairs of pelicans that nest on seven lakes across the state.
The pelicans spend winters along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico and typically return to Minnesota in early spring. More than one-fifth of all pelicans in North America will nest in western Minnesota. With the help of many conservation efforts, it’s nice to know I can now count on seeing them when I’m in the area.