Plethora of pelicans wintering on Lake Conway

The Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir, 3 miles south of Conway, is a resting stop for American white pelicans as they migrate from the northern United States to the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of white pelicans can be seen as they swim in formation, trying to catch fish. Brown pelicans dive, but white pelicans feed from the surface. One of the largest North American birds, they can weigh as much as 30 pounds and have a wing span of up to 9 feet. The pelicans’ arrival delights local birders and photographers.
The Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir, 3 miles south of Conway, is a resting stop for American white pelicans as they migrate from the northern United States to the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of white pelicans can be seen as they swim in formation, trying to catch fish. Brown pelicans dive, but white pelicans feed from the surface. One of the largest North American birds, they can weigh as much as 30 pounds and have a wing span of up to 9 feet. The pelicans’ arrival delights local birders and photographers.

MAYFLOWER — While ducks may have eluded some waterfowlers this season, pelicans have been plentiful the past few weeks on several of the larger bodies of water in the River Valley & Ozark Edition coverage area, including on the Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir.

These aren’t the brown pelicans from the Florida beaches; they’re the American white pelican, one of North America’s largest birds.

Luke Naylor of Conway, waterfowl program coordinator with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said he’s seen the conspicuous birds, too, on the way to Mayflower.

“They’re a huge bird,” he said. “They breed farther north and migrate down through here.”

Naylor said some people think there are more birds than normal this year.

“It’s completely random. I’ll hear through the grapevine comments about pelicans on Lake Conway like it’s the first time they’ve ever been here, or someone will say, ‘Oh, they’re here all the time.’ I wonder if it’s a change of their location of food sources in Lake Conway, so they’re more visible this year,” Naylor said. “Dry years like this, people often notice changes in bird distribution. Pelicans typically aren’t found in temporary water bodies; pelicans use more permanent water bodies. They eat fish, so they’re going to be in more permanent bodies of water.”

Donna Haynes of Little Rock, publicity chairwoman for Audubon Arkansas, said she hasn’t seen any evidence that there are more pelicans in Arkansas than usual.

“You may find more in a certain spot than you’ve seen in previous years. I haven’t seen evidence there’s been a boon in population or anything,” she said.

Haynes said it’s normal for the white pelicans to winter in Arkansas. “They winter from the border of north Arkansas all the way to the [Gulf Coast],” Haynes said.

Dan Scheiman, staff ornithologist for Audubon Arkansas, said American white pelicans breed in the north-central United States and southern Canada and the “prairies area, where a lot of our ducks also are produced. They spend the winter across Arkansas on our large reservoirs and rivers.”

In addition to Lake Conway, he said, the pelicans can be seen on several bodies of water, including Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River.

The American white pelican is distinctive for its 9-foot wingspan, white body and the improbable proportions of its large bill and pouch, according to the Audubon website.

“Despite their size, the pelicans are graceful fliers, with flocks soaring high in the air and wheeling in unison. In flight, black wing tips and trailing edges are good field marks. American white pelicans may be seen cooperatively foraging in shallow waters, or at adjacent loafing sites, where they are tolerant of human observation at a respectful distance,” the website states.

“They will be around till probably March or April,” Haynes said. “They are seen throughout the summer in fewer numbers, but a lot fewer numbers. Most of them move north to breed.”

Naylor said the pelicans will be around “as long as they can stick around and eat fish.”

Scheiman said they breed in colonies and, in the winter, travel in flocks. Like all migratory birds, they internally know, based on changes in day length, when it’s time to head back north.

The pelicans are a sight to behold, and now is the time to see them, Haynes said.

“They’re very impressive, very impressive. I love to see them fly,” she said.

Scheiman agreed: “I love watching flocks of them go by. They’re like big fighter planes flying in formation.”

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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