What's With The Pelicans?

Sometimes people ask us why we use the pelican in our thematic materials for the Lake Walcott Open.

Lake Walcott State Park is located in the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge also includes an important nesting area for a population of American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos).

Human distrubance can cause a pelican nesting ground to be abaondoned. At one time in the past, the pelican nesting ground on Lake Walcott was the only one left in the state of Idaho. Now, a small population is also successfully nesting at a site on Blackfoot Reservoir. A recent count at the Minidoka nesting site yielded an estimated 400-500 nesting pair. The actual site may not be visited, but the nesting area may be viewed from a distance via boat.

Although it is common to see pelicans during a round of disc golf, you can also take advantage of an excellent viewing opportunity as you leave the park. After exiting the park, if you will turn left (South) just after the canal and proceed a few hundred feet to the boat launching area below the dam, you will normally find many pelicans in the water below the power plant and scenic Minidoka Falls.

The American white pelican is a large, graceful bird that can have a wingspan as large as 9 feet! Breeding females normally lay a clutch of 1-3 eggs (most often 2), which take 29-36 days to incubate under the care of both nesting adults. Hatchlings take about 60 days to fledge (develop the feathers required for flight). The pelican diet comprises only fish and sometimes other marine life such as salmanders or crawfish. More information about pelicans is available from many sources, including the USGS and isu.edu.