Brown Pelican Dieoff Spreads Along California Coast - At Least 1,000 Dead Or Sick In Last Month

In an ocean mystery that is baffling marine biologists, at least 1,000 brown pelicans have turned up dead or in distress along California beaches during the past month, with hundreds overwhelming wildlife rescue centers from the Bay Area to San Diego.

The popular birds, whose wing spans can reach 8 feet and who dramatically dive into ocean waters to scoop up fish, are widely reported to be hungry and disoriented.

They also appear to have some kind of substance — possibly a naturally occurring material from a red tide or other ocean conditions — that is causing their feathers to lose insulation properties, exposing the birds' skin to cold water and hypothermia. "It's a mystery. It's tragic. It's very sad to see these poor birds suffer," said Dana Michaels, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game. "I hope we can get to the bottom of it. There's something really endearing about pelicans."

Over the past week, the department announced it is pooling resources with wildlife rescue centers from around the state to try to determine the cause. Starting in mid-January, many of the birds began showing up in Southern California with problems. Reports of distressed pelicans have become common all the way to the Oregon border, with dozens found in places such as Del Monte Beach in Monterey, Main Beach in Santa Cruz and several spots along the San Francisco coast.

EDIT

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14401722

1. I appreciate the story the OP posted
2. I hope people figure out the cause and can mitigate the problem
3. There are numerous potential causes for the die off, both natural and man-made
4. Doomers will blame any and all negative news on AGW. It's just mindless knee jerk for the Kool-Aid Doomers.

I bet you blame poor wait service at restaurants on global warming too.

Human induced climate change.

The link here *may be* that algal blooms are more common in warmer water. Since many species of algae have lipid oil content approaching 50% it is very possible that the substance coating the pelicans is the left-over oil from rotting algae that managed to grow to an abnormally high density.

They won't survive the rise of man.

in the article.

That said, there used to be a brown pelican on a pier I fished from in Morro Bay, California. He was a wretched sort of pelican, of the bait-stealing variety. No sooner did you turn your back on your foetid tray of clam guts than he'd waddle up behind you and slurp them all down.

If you managed to protect your stinking bait and caught a fish or two, Fred (such was his pathetic name) would stealthily watch for an opportunity, then snatch your catch directly from the bucket. Your curses were of no use. Fred would simply retreat just far enough so you could not reach his scrawny neck to force him to cough up your catch. Bobbing his head, he seemed to scoff at you as he swallowed the fish.

The pathetic tourists who came to the pier found amusement in Fred's bait-stealing, but we local anglers knew the truth. Fred had a broken wing and could no longer fly, so he made his living through larceny and thievery, the scoundrel.