Pelican in the Mountains

This morning we received a report of a brown pelican in the backyard of a home on Skyland Ridge, at about 2000' elevation. According to residents, the bird had been walking around their patio for a while - it may have been there all night. 

Duane and Rebecca responded. When they arrived, the bird was very down, suffering from hypothermia. It was placed on heat for the ride to the nearest wildlife hospital, Native Animal Rescue, in Santa Cruz.

There, it received intensive care, but that just wasn't enough. The pelican was too far gone - it was in too weakened a state - thin and exhausted.

Finding a bird so far from shore and so debilitated raises a few questions. We often see pelicans in odd locations when they are starving or when they are suffering from domoic acid poisoning. We'd had some severe weather, but was that enough to blow it off course? 

Many thanks to the reporting party and, as always, to Native Animal Rescue for being there to receive another critical patient.