Correction: The photo caption previously said that the pelicans arrived on Saturday April 14th. This has been corrected to Saturday April 15th, to be consistent with the article.
The pelicans are back in Saskatoon, ready to spend their summer fishing and enjoying the warm weather.
The snow about to hit Saskatoon will not spoil the fun. The return also ends the 27th Meewasin Pelican Watch Contest in which 1,611 people participated in this year.
The pelicans return each year for the nesting season after spending the cold winter in California, Florida, Mexico and even Guatemala. The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds on the continent weighing 7-10 kg and having a wingspan of up to three metres.
This is the 27th year of the Meewasin Pelican Watch Contest, organized by the Meewasin Valley Authority. A Meewasin volunteer was able to confirm that the pelicans arrived at the ‘Official Splash Down Zone’ between the CPR Bridge and the Weir on Saturday, April 15th at 7:56 p.m. Previous arrival times have been between April 2nd and April 21st.
The Meewasin Valley Authority will contact the person who was closest with their arrival time prediction and thus the winner of the Meewasin Pelican Watch Contest in the next few days.
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It looks like the pelicans picked a bad time to arrive as Saskatoon is expected to see some springtime snowfall during the week. Amy Wall, manager of marketing at the Meewasin Valley Authority says the birds will not be too bothered by the snow:
“The snow coming up in the next couple of days, won’t affect the pelicans at all. They are very well adapted to sustain through a little bit of cold weather. They live here fairly deep into the fall and are here in the spring before the nice weather is out.”
Wall is very excited about the birds returning as it signifies that the Meewasin Valley Authority conservation efforts are paying off.
“The pelicans are a really important conservation marker. The pelicans were very endangered just a few years ago and we have done a lot of active conservation work to bring the ecosystem back to where they are thriving and returning every year.”
The pelicans can be spotted near the Weir and the CPR train bridge along the Meewasin trail. Eager ornithologists are recommended to bring binoculars.
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