Brown Pelican Survey

Brown Pelicans at Depoe Bay.\Photo by Dennis White.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is teaming with various partners along the West Coast—here in Oregon, it’s Portland Audubon—to conduct the semi-annual Brown Pelican Survey.  The second of this year’s surveys takes place Sept. 8.

In recent years this species has suffered huge nest failures on its breeding grounds off southern and Baja California which is thought to be tied to declines in their forage fish (primarily anchovies). These surveys will help to define the distribution and abundance of Brown Pelicans and track shifts in population structure to help us better protect this iconic bird.

You don’t need formal training to help.  Volunteers conduct the survey for one hour (your choice) within the four hours prior to “civil twilight” (basically, sunset—if you participate you will learn the exact definition).  It is essential that the survey be conducted only during these hours. 

The survey in Oregon takes place at 19 pre-determined sites.  To identify a site and receive instructions and data sheets, contact the area coordinator, Joe Liebezeit of Portland Audubon, jliebezeit@audubonportland.org, 971-222-6121.  Should you have any questions or would like hard copies of the forms by mail, please email your name and address to aweinstein@audubon.org.