White Pelican Recuperating at Wildlife Center

June 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Bird Has Undergone Several Surgeries
An injured white Pelican rescued at the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh continues to gain strength at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. The bird was discovered by IRWD staff and Sea and Sage Audubon volunteers sitting alone on an island at the end of April, tangled in fishing line with a fishing lure hooked into its beak. They cut off the line and removed the lure.

“The original surgery had to be redone because some of the bone on the lower beak had died,” said Debbie McGuire, Wildlife Director for the center. “So we used material similar to that which dentists use for implants. Hopefully, this will hold.”

The bird was dubbed Nigel after the white pelican in the film, “Finding Nemo.” Turns out, however, the bird should be called “Nigelina,” because it appears the bird is female, McGuire said.

White pelicans migrate to California from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Colorado. It’s not clear which flock Nigel was part of because the bird was not tagged or banded. McGuire said that once the bird is able to forage, eat and fly on its own, it will be released to the wild. If rescuers can’t determine where the bird is from, it will be released to the ponds in the San Joaquin Marsh.

Meanwhile, Nigel is enjoying meals of eight to 10 pounds of smelt per day while the beak heals from its latest surgery.

More information about our environmental programs and the San Joaquin Marsh is available on our website.