Welcome back to Wildknife Photography’s Sunday edition.
If you’ve been following along for a while you’ll know that any trip to Fort Smith is incomplete without a visit to the American White Pelican colony on the Slave River. This year’s camping trip was no different.
The pelican colony in Fort Smith is the only colony in North American that breeds on moving water. Most other colonies set up their nesting grounds in places that are a little more stable. I guess we can say we have the bravest pelicans in the land?
I always forget how large these birds are until I see them gliding through the air over the Rapids of the Drowned landing on their giant pontoon feet to settle into the burbling waters and patiently wait for the fish to appear from the depths of the turbid waters.
This year I learned that there has been a group of people from Fort Smith acting as guardians for these birds since 1974. The Pelican Advisory Council has been recording the number of nests, chicks, and calculating mortality rates for over 40 years. They even have the honour of holding the title for the longest running cumulative record of colonial nesters in the world.* In 1974 there were 27 nests with just 21 chicks. These days the flock is well over 500 birds.
One of the main reasons this flock has been so successful is thank to the hard work of the Pelican Advisory Council. They calculated the distance limit to which pelicans would tolerate human activity around their nesting grounds before a fatal disturbance could occur; pelicans will abandon their nests and their chicks if they feel threatened.
The Council was instrumental in establishing the minimum distance limits for pilots in the air (915m or 3000 feet) and for activity on the ground (457m or 1500 feet). The Pelican colony is now protected from the air by federal law and by Wildlife Sanctuary status through the Province of Alberta.
I’m always fascinated to learn more about the history of wildlife conservation in Canada. It is wonderful to be able to enjoy the success of programs that protect species from disappearing. It can be difficult to remember that we share the earth with other incredible beings but sitting on the rocks just metres from these magnificent birds is a wonderful way to be reminded that we’re not alone.
Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see you again next Sunday. Enjoy your week!
*see Northern Journal article HERE .