On Wed., Sept. 26, while camping at Kalaloch along the outer coast of Olympic N.P. , I counted at least 150 Brown Pelicans fishing just offshore. The next day, about 10 linear miles to the north, I drove down to the Hoh River mouth on the south side of the river, within the Hoh Reservation, and found about 400-500 pelicans resting just inside the river mouth. Most (about 350) were rafting on a widening of the river along the east side of the beach strand that forms the south arm of the river mouth. The remainder were perched along the beach and on driftlogs that line the north side of the river mouth. What seemed particularly interesting to me was that most of the pelicans--at least 300 for sure--were immatures, which was rather easy to confirm with binocs by the relative absence of more readily apparent white-headed, adult birds as you scanned (and counted) across the gathered birds. Based on the beach characteristics and relative proximity to the Hoh Road here, I don't think this is a likely breeding site now or in the near future, and more likely just a good resting or staging area along this part of the coast. But I hadn't realized before that so many young pelicans are obviously moving this far north now.

Bruce Moorhead
Port Angeles, WA
bruceb at olypen.com