This past weekend on a Rainier Audubon Chapter field trip to the Tokeland,
WA area, we saw dozens of Brown Pelicans; many were soaring together in
exquisite spirals over the north end of Willapa Bay. Some of these birds
were MUCH higher than 100 meters. Perhaps this behavior is dependent on
coastal geography and specific wind conditions that are more prevalent
along the Washington Coast than in the SF Bay area (I have also seen the
American White Pelicans soar in high spirals in the Great Basin region of
the Rocky Mts.)

Also, for the record, our group had a leisurely 30+ min study of a
beautiful adult white-tailed (formerly known as black-shouldered and
before that as white-tailed and before that as .........) kite. We
observed perching, flying, hovering, "armpit scratching" and yawning.
Someone in the group humorously suggested that this bird, based
on behavior, had to be a male.

Our group also had the wonderful experience of visiting the McCausland
home in Tokeland; the entire house is a work of sculptured wooden art,
paintings and drawings, and many blooming plants (yes, even in late Oct).
Their collection of carved, painted birds (all in correct colors and
plumage patterns) is beyond facultative expression. We felt very
privileged to enjoy the hospitality of the talented artist & writer
McCausland's. Total bird list was about 58 species---a fantastic field
trip with grudgingly cooperating weather.

Maureen E. Ellis, me2 at u.washington, U of WA and Des Moines, WA
**********Alvaro's Pelican message below******************************

On Fri, 25 Oct 1996, Alvaro Jaramillo wrote:

> Michael,
>
> Your pelican's behaviour is pure American White, in my opinion. I have
> never observed a Brown Pelican soaring, they just don't seem to do it. Brown
> Pelicans seldom fly higher than 100m over the water. Their wing shapes are
> different, Brown Pelican has long and narrow wings while the Whites have
> broad and shorter wings. Brown Pelicans tend to show an obvious crook on the
> wings, while the Whites have straight wings. I get to see tons of Browns
> here at home and good numbers of Whites at work.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Al.
>
> Alvaro Jaramillo Where there's smoke doesn't mean
> Half Moon Bay, CA there is fire.
> alvaro at quake.net Just means there's smoke.
>
>
> http://www.quake.net/~alvaro/index.html
>
>