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American White Pelicans can be seen on the lake from March-May and again in late August-November.
CELINA - The Grand Lake region remains one of the best places in Ohio to catch a glimpse of American White Pelicans, according to one expert.
The birds can be seen on the lake from March-May and again in late August-November, Troy Shively, a former Indian Lake naturalist and longtime Indian Lake High School math teacher, said at the Lake Improvement Association meeting on Saturday morning.
The area has always been on the eastern edge of their migrating pattern, he said. However with the birds now having colonies in the Great Lakes, their migration path is straight north of the Grand Lake area.
"They're in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, they're in Michigan," he said. "You can look out (in Celina) and see a few bobbing around right now, and this sight is a common sight, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon."
At one time, the Grand Lake region was pretty much the only place in Ohio where the pelicans could be consistently observed.
"Pre-1900s they were abundant summer visitors," he said.
For the next 100 years, the population declined greatly, with just four recorded sightings between 1900-1980.
"But then around 2000, they started popping up just a couple at a time in random places," Shively said. "I saw my first in Ohio in probably 2000-2001 at Clarence Brown Reservoirs. There used to be about a week in March where you could go there and you'd see about four or five of them."
The first modern nesting of American White Pelicans in the Great Lakes was recorded in 2007 at Lake Superior.
"As of 2023, we just found out in the past two weeks, Ohio has its first nesting of American White Pelicans on Lake Erie," he said. "Last year they had their first confirmed nest."
The Grand Lake region remains one of the best places in Ohio to catch a glimpse of American White Pelicans.
Shively said he disagrees with some people who've said it's impossible for white pelicans to some day nest at Grand Lake.
"I wouldn't be surprised if on one of the bigger islands they try to start a little colony," he said. "They hang out late into the year, and they come back right away in the fall, so it wouldn't surprise me if we have a small breeding population here eventually."
In 2015, the Grand Lake population greatly expanded.
"I saw my first in the Tri-Reservoir in 2004 at Indian Lake," he said. "In 2015, though, boom. They are everywhere. A lot of people are wondering why?"
American White Pelicans live up to about 30 years and eat a variety of foods, mostly non-game animals, such as salamanders, crayfish and frogs, he said.
The birds consume around 3-4 pounds of food a day and have a wingspan of around 120 inches.
"They're pretty opportunistic," he said. "They will go get whatever is easy to get. So, if you've got a small pond and there's easy-to-get catfish, easy-to-get bass, they will come down and take care of it."
American White Pelicans can be seen on the lake from March-May and again in late August-November.
Those wishing to see pelicans most likely won't be able to miss them.
"They're found over most of the lake from March-May and again in late August-November," he said. "(They) can be found anywhere, but are most common at the Coldwater Creek area of the lake."
For sightings near Indian Lake, Shively recommended checking out the Turkey Foot area and the east side of the lake on the northeast side of Lakeridge Island.
This is the best place in Ohio to see pelicans, he insisted.
"There is no other place in Ohio where you can expect to see White Pelicans," Shively said. "There are a few spots near Toledo that are pretty common. Indian Lake is pretty good, but Grand Lake St. Marys is the best place in Ohio to see American White Pelicans."
