The mystery object is an article known as a 'pelican stake'.
These are carried by some pelicans for the purpose of marking their feeding
zones in order to restrain other pelicans from entering them. Younger
pelicans, that is those born since 1996, the date of pelican fisheries
deregulation, are unlikely either to assert exclusive feeding zones or to
respect those of other pelicans. Accordingly, the carrying of a pelican
stake is a reliable indication that the pelican in question was either born before
1996 or is a member of the Pelicans' Rights League, a body which has only a
small membership in the ACT, but which claims to represent some 60% of the
pelicans in south-eastern Queensland
and the Greater Perth area. Now, what is this bird holding, and
why?
-----Original Message-----
From: Stuart Harris [
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 7:16 PM
To:
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] mystery object
By no means a great photograph but have been intrigued since December
last
year when I snapped a Pelican flying away from me at Kellys Swamp.
Wasn't
till a while later when pouring over pics that I realised this
Pelican's
eyes may have indeed been bigger than its belly can!
Any idea of the mystery object that it is carrying?.....and if
so....why?
Stuart Harris
"Everything is relative, everything is valid!"
