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--> --> Pelicans flock to Fern Ridge Reservoir VENETA (AP) - An unprecedented number of white pelicans have found a seasonal home in the southern end of Fern Ridge Reservoir, a drought-stricken area that's been abandoned by its traditional flocks of boaters and picnickers. There's been no established population of the migratory birds west of the Cascade Range for at least 50 years. White pelicans have historically formed summer nesting colonies at Klamath and Malheur lakes in Oregon, then flown in early winter to California's Salton Sea and farther south to the Gulf of California's Baja coastline. "People have taken a pretty keen interest in them," says Jim Beal, park ranger at Fern Ridge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "It seems to me like the numbers have been increasing, but I've typically seen about a dozen or so." Some witnesses have reported seeing as many as 40 pelicans skimming the knee-deep water, or standing on waterlogged stumps about 100 yards off Perkins Peninsula, on the lake's south shore. The area had been transformed by low water into a lagoon, almost entirely closed off from the rest of the lake. The Willamette Valley reservoir last supported a seasonal colony of pelicans in the 1930s or 1940s, but the regional drought may have disrupted their breeding routine at Klamath and Malheur lakes, prompting them to hit the road as empty-nesters of other species have been known to do. It's unlikely, however, that this year's pelicans are scouting out new breeding territory at Fern Ridge. Even at current water levels, the lake attracts too many recreational users to suit the pelicans' long-term interests. "They're real touchy," said Dan Gleason, a University of Oregon ornithology instructor and board member of the Lane County Audubon Society. "When they're disturbed on their breeding sites, they leave the nest and just don't breed that year." Wayne Morrow, wildlife biologist at Fern Ridge for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, agrees that pelicans are awfully picky about nesting sites. "Next year, if the lake gets back to full pool, it will be interesting to see if it's still appealing to them or if they move on," he said. "This is probably that type of phenomenon where a little pod just breaks off of the typical migration route and does something different for a season." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing