Federal biologists who were baffled by pelican die-offs and departures at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge the past two years are betting the big birds will be back in about a month.
BISMARCK, N.D. — Federal biologists who were baffled by pelican die-offs and departures at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge the past two years are betting the big birds will be back in about a month.
"I would say that every biologist believes they will come back, as they have for over 100 years, unless something drastic happens," said Ken Torkelson, a spokesman in Bismarck for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
White pelicans normally return to the 4,385-acre Chase Lake refuge near Medina during the first two weeks of April, Torkelson said. The birds currently are at their winter grounds in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
For the second consecutive year, biologists plan to fit the pelicans with electronic tracking equipment, Torkelson said. Two observers also will be monitoring the birds daily during the nesting season.
A fence will be installed around at least one nesting colony to keep out predators, Torkelson said.
The nesting grounds will be off-limits to people again this year. Visitors still will be able to see pelicans feeding at prairie potholes in the Chase Lake area, Torkelson said.
"I know we will be monitoring closely, probably more closely than last year," he said.
The refuge in central North Dakota has been known for a century as the home of the largest nesting colony of white pelicans in North America.
"Oh, yes, I think they'll be back," said Kim Hanson, who heads the Arrowwood complex, which includes the Arrowwood and Chase Lake refuges. "I guess it's anybody's guess at this point."
In 2004, nearly 30,000 pelicans left the Chase Lake refuge, leaving their chicks and eggs behind. Last year, the refuge saw a massive die-off of pelican chicks, followed by an exodus of their parents.
"The abandonment of 2004 has yet to be explained, satisfactorily," Torkelson said. "What caused the die-off last year is still uncertain, although the West Nile virus certainly has been found, especially in the young chicks."
Hanson believes what has happened to the pelicans is a "natural phenomenon."
"They will go to the most suitable nesting location," he said. "If they find a better nesting location than at Chase Lake, they'll go there, I guess."
Source: Associated Press
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