At 11:45 PM 11/19/97 -0800, you wrote:

>There's another possible candidate species in the area at that time of year
>(sporadically) whose color, size, flight profile and proclivity for
>formation flight at sometimes quite high altitude would even more produce
>*every* detail of the phenomenon which Arnold observed: a flock of non- or
>failed-breeder southbound White Pelicans. They'd have been large enough to
>visible for a good distance, they fly in formation, and if the light were
>reflecting just right off a large nearby glaciated peak, their comparatively
>vast white underwing area would reflect a *ton* of light in exactly the
>pattern described by Arnold.

Michael, my first thought when I started reading your analysis was white
pelican. Several years ago, when training a good birder in the finer details
of splitting migrating hawks into species, age, etc at long distances at
the beginning of the fall migration season (i.e. training him to run our
count), we saw distant white "blurps" fading in and out of visibility
many miles north. This was at the Goshutes, i.e. on the Utah/Nevada
border. It was near sunset. It was obvious that the sun was reflecting
on their underwings. They'd disappear momentarily and then reappear in
sequence. They were flying east-to-west and we first spotted them somewhat
to the northeast. I pegged them as white pelicans almost immediately, as
the whole cadence of the thing matched the way white pelicans will soar in
line (in this case - they'll also "V" up), and rather than flap all at once,
often will each begin to flap as each reaches the position where the previous
bird began to flap. Same with turning, etc. Of course, they'll also do this
in more of a synchronized formation, too, but I'm sure you've all seen white
pelicans flap and glide in the kind of pattern I'm describing.

I couldn't think of any bird that would show such a cadence and literally
twinkle white while switching from soaring to flapping.

As they continued heading west, of course the northerly component of their
distance from us diminished (i.e. they got closer :) and the squat battleship
like profile of the pelicans were noticable.

It was very cool, actually. Among other things, the trainee started believing
me when I told him a distant accipiter was a sharpie, not a Coop (or
vice-versa).

>I'd submit that the hypothesis of a small southbound flock of failed- or
>non-breeder American White Pelicans observed by someone unfamiliar with
>underwing reflectivity would provide the same phenomena and be at least as
>good an alternative possibility than seeing artifacts from another planet.

Having spent a lot of time watching pelicans, I'm convinced they
*are* artifacts from another planet :)



- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>
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