Ocean Sentry
(From marinij.com)- The endangered brown pelican, which faced extinction in California 50 years ago, is returning in record numbers to the Farallon Islands, according to the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. The bird observatory – now known as PRBO Conservation Science- has been monitoring wildlife on the islands since 1968, when 363 of the birds were counted. At the time, the population was beginning to recover from DDT poisoning, a toxic pesticide which washed from fields and accumulated in the fish pelicans ate, causing their egg shells to thin and dooming embryos. This year a record 5,856 pelicans were counted on Southeast Farallon Island in mid-July, researchers said.
(by Mark Prado)
