Pelicans return to a Great Salt Lake island for the first time in decades

The birds left Gunnison Island last year after land bridges left them vulnerable to predators, but returned again this spring.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) American white pelicans fly alongside black-necked stilts at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, a 74,000-acre nature reserve in the northern Great Salt Lake on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Pelicans at the refuge have flown thousands of miles to get to the Great Salt Lake, where thousands of them will hatch chicks on Gunnison Island, one of the species’ largest breeding colonies.

Pelicans return to a Great Salt Lake island for the first time in decades

The birds left Gunnison Island last year after land bridges left them vulnerable to predators, but returned again this spring.

MOST VIEWED

1

Watch: Surveillance videos played in Charlie Kirk killing case, after Tyler Robinson’s lawyers tried to keep them out

2

2-alarm fire in Sugar House neighborhood under control after threatening structures

3

A Salt Lake City restaurant shifts to serving only 21+, while two bars go family-friendly

4

Charlie Kirk’s family leaves courtroom before testimony about shooting video and the sound of the fatal shot

5

Letter: Imagine what would happen if getting a driver license required a demonstration of the ability to ride five miles on a bicycle

Sponsored Story

Drunken Kitchen restaurant is now open to all ages.