The Blue-Banded Pelican Contest

You may have seen one on the pier, at the beach, or soaring above the waves: A California Brown Pelican wearing a plastic blue leg band.

So what does this band mean?

Although they were de-listed from the Endangered Species Act in 2009, Brown Pelicans continue to face many human-caused problems, such as fishing line and fishing tackle injuries, pollution and loss of coastal habitat.

At International Bird Rescue, we treat hundreds of Brown Pelicans each year. To better track these wonderful birds post-release, in 2009 our team began banding rehabilitated pelicans with blue bands that feature easily readable identification numbers to better spot these birds in the wild (like Pelican C34, shown above). IBR has released over 1,100 Blue-Banded Pelicans, and we’ve received hundreds of sighting reports from the public up and down the West Coast, from Baja California to British Columbia. Many of these birds have been spotted in the Bay Area as well.

Last year, we launched a sighting contest to get the word out about the Blue-Banded Pelican program. Within two months of this inaugural competition, 119 Blue-Banded Pelican numbers were reported, representing an unprecedented number of pelican band sightings. 

This year’s competition launches July 29 and runs through Oct. 14. Our friends at Eagle Optics have again made a very generous donation for the grand-prize winners. A Vortex Nomad 20-60 X 60 Angled Spotting Scope will be awarded to the individual who reports the most sighted bands, while the runner-up will receive a fabulous pair of 2X Eagle Optics Denali 8 X 42 binoculars.

Both winners will also become honorary Pelican Partners, a unique experience that includes a private tour of an International Bird Rescue wildlife hospital and the exclusive opportunity to open the cage door to release a rehabilitated pelican back into the wild. 

Want to participate in this year’s contest? Whether you’ve spotted the number on a pelican’s metal federal band or an easy-to-read blue band, reporting a banded pelican sighting is easy. Just click here for contest rules to get started. We’ll also provide weekly sighting clues on our blog.

As you aid the important scientific research on the travels of the Pelecanus occidentalis, you will be helping in their conservation