As weeklong Tracy Aviary summer campers, the junior aviculturists tried out the bird park's new Pelican Adventure, which allows small groups to go behind the scenes, into the kitchen to help the keeper prepare a special diet for the seven American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) that live the good life in Pelican Pond.
"All of our pelicans have had wing injuries and aren't able to fly," aviculturist Kate Lyngle explained as she supervised food preparation.
"But they have adapted to the pond and the food here." One of the birds has been at the Liberty Park aviary for 15 years.
The American white is one of about seven types of pelicans worldwide. Considered Utah natives, hundreds live in a colony at the Great Salt Lake, flying to freshwater lakes for food during the day. The American white pelican is one of the largest birds in North America, and can be up to 62 inches long, with a wing span up to 9 feet. Unlike other pelicans, it does not dive from great heights for food, but rather fishes on top of the water. The pelicans upend their white tail feathers as their big bills go under and scoop the fish.
This beak action is what gives rise to the immortal couplet, "What a wonderful bird is the pelican, his beak can hold more than his belly can."
Before the pelicans get their dinner - trout and capelin, a small fish - the frozen fish are thawed and vitamin supplements are added.
Donning aprons and latex gloves for their camp adventure, the youngsters stuffed vitamins into the mouths of the fish. Comments ranged from Theo's - "My hands are sticky inside the [latex] gloves," to Parker's remark - "I have caught fish much bigger than this one."
After preparing the food and putting it into a bucket, the campers shed their aprons and gloves and headed to Pelican Pond, punctuating their short walk with calls of "Snapper! Snapper! Snapper!"
And lo, the majestic birds gracefully began to glide to the bridge where the children, as instructed, were waiting to toss the fish to the pelicans.
"See how they throw the fish in the air? They do that so that the fish will go into their throats head first. Otherwise, the fish gills make it hard to swallow," Lyngle said.
And that was another lesson learned.
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* JUDY MAGID can be contacted at magid@sltrib.com or 801-257-8608. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
If you go
Tracy Aviary's Pelican Adventure, which combines a behind-the-scenes package of food preparation, feeding and education, is available to the public Thursdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., by reservation only. Guests are limited to four people - adults or children older than 3 - and reservations must be made 24 hours in advance. Tickets are $35 per person; call 801-596-8500.
