# Thousands of pelicans flock to New South Wales's (Australia) central west as an 'extraordinary' event unfolds



## Bretrick (May 7, 2022)

More than 30,000 pelicans have descended on a river system in New South Wales, in one of the largest breeding events recorded in Australia.

A wet and wild summer across the state created the ideal conditions for the native species to breed at Lake Brewster, in the state's Central West.

"The health of not only Lake Brewster but the whole of the river system — the wetlands that are all part of the habitat — are all in very good condition," Mal Carnegie, from the Lake Cowal Foundation, said.

"Each day those chicks are requiring between half a kilogram and a kilogram of food, so you are looking at between 15 and 30 tonnes of biomass per day to feed the chicks and adults. It's an incredible amount of fish."

Mr Carnegie said it had been "extraordinary" to see the pelican colony develop over the past six months.

"We have been very fortunate, all of us involved in the monitoring and management of the colony to see a spectacle like that first-hand."

The Department of Planning and Environment's senior environmental water manager, Joanne Lenehan, said the scale of the breeding event was very rare.

"Most nesting events are between a few hundred to 6,000 to 8,000, particularly along the coast, so this event is at least twice what we consider a large or average event," she said.

Over the past six months, more than 15,000 nests have been recorded at the lake, surpassing the previous record of 8,000 in 2010-11.

Video courtesy of ABC Australia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-08/pelicans-lake-brewster-breeding-season/101033032


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## Jules (May 8, 2022)

Amazing.  Love that technology/the drone helps to watch them.  Wonder what conditions made it so perfect for record numbers.


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## Bretrick (May 8, 2022)

Jules said:


> Amazing.  Love that technology/the drone helps to watch them.  Wonder what conditions made it so perfect for record numbers.


A wet and wild summer across the state created the ideal conditions for the native species to breed at Lake Brewster.


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## hollydolly (May 8, 2022)

_The health of not only Lake Brewster but the whole of the river system — the wetlands that are all part of the habitat — are all in very good condition," Mal Carnegie, from the Lake Cowal Foundation, said. 

"Each day those chicks are requiring between half a kilogram and a kilogram of food, so you are looking at between 15 and 30 tonnes of biomass per day to feed the chicks and adults. It's an incredible amount of fish." 

is this the ugliest chick in the world.... ? 





_


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## Alligatorob (May 8, 2022)

Thanks for the pelican post.  I have always enjoyed them, we have two varieties here, white and brown, both probably different from yours.

Bitten by one once, I was feeding them left over bait and thought I could get one to take it right from my hand.  It did, but got a piece of my hand as well.  All now healed and forgiven.

An amazing bird the pelican.
Beak can hold more than his belly can.


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## Geezer Garage (May 8, 2022)

Senior discounts perhaps?



Jules said:


> Wonder what conditions made it so perfect for record numbers.


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## Knight (May 8, 2022)

"Each day those chicks are requiring between half a kilogram and a kilogram of food, so you are looking at between 15 and 30 tonnes of biomass per day to feed the chicks and adults. It's an incredible amount of fish."


"The health of not only Lake Brewster but the whole of the river system — the wetlands that are all part of the habitat — are all in very good condition," Mal Carnegie, from the Lake Cowal Foundation, said.
************************

That 15 and 30 tonnes of biomass per day has to go somewhere so. I wonder if the amount of excrement deposited by the adult & pelican chicks will have a positive or negative affect on the health of Lake Brewster & the whole of the river system.


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## JustDave (May 8, 2022)

Incredible video!  I saw something similar here in the US while visiting my sister in Chicago.  We took a trip over to a place in rural Indiana to watch an evening gathering of migrating Sand Hill Cranes that happens every night each year during the migration season in the same place.  I would have estimated over 5,000 cranes the evening we were there, but I don't really know how to estimate Sand Hill Cranes.  From your photos, I would say the cranes numbered half of your 'peliconvention'.  Why did they always gather there, I don't know.  It was not a destination or a breeding ground.  You could watch individual flocks coming from 3 points over the horizon just to spend one evening in a field.  The accompanying video shows maybe 20% of the size of the gathering as the one we saw, which may have been the peak of the migration.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sand+hll+...i=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV9xokad-jw


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