Hailing from Florida, I am a huge fan of brown pelicans.  I was therefore very pleased to hear that after several years where brown pelicans on the West Coast of the US have been mysteriously dying off,  this year the flocks of  pelicans have been unprecedentedly large.

Two years ago the headlines were dire – “California Brown Pelicans in Peril,”  and “Mystery Malady Strikes California Brown Pelicans.”    The pelicans appear to have recovered  with a vengence.  And no one quite understands why.

Buzz rising over local pelican population

Torrey Pines State Beach lifeguard Ed Vodrazka has never seen anything like it in his 35 years on the job. He’s never seen this many pelicans soaring over San Diego, occasional flocks of more than 100 at a time, smaller flocks every few minutes.

“The numbers are incredible,” Vodrazka said. “Literally thousands and thousands of pelicans are off our coast right now. It’s unprecedented.”

Up and down the county’s coastline, people shared the same point of view Tuesday. Seabird specialists said if pelicans are more plentiful now — and they lack sure evidence — it may be because of an abundant food supply and adverse breeding conditions in Mexico.

For nearly 40 years, from 1970 to 2009, the federal government considered the brown pelican an endangered species. The bird’s population has climbed over the past 25 years to about 190,000 in California as pollutants such as DDT, so dangerous to the species, were phased out and conservation efforts succeeded.

Thanks to Phil Leon for passing the article along.