More pelicans flying in for summer

Muskego - "They swirl and soar higher and higher," is how Gregory Burmeister describes the thrilling scene of dozens of pure white pelicans taking to the air from the waters of Big Muskego Lake.

With 9-foot wingspans, pelicans are some of the biggest birds in North America and hundreds are at Big Muskego Lake, said Burmeister, a deputy commissioner of the Big Muskego Lake/Bass Bay Protection and Rehabilitation District.

One neighbor counted 222 pelicans on the lake at one time recently, he said.

Before people came along and fouled the waters, pelicans made their homes all over Wisconsin, said wildlife biologist Brian Glenzinski, who works for the state Department of Natural Resources in Waukesha and Walworth counties.

With efforts over many years to clean up the state's waterways, the pelicans are probably just finding their way back to their old homes, Glenzinski said.

Ten years ago, pelicans were virtually unheard of on Big Muskego Lake, Burmeister said. But they have been seen more and more until this year hundreds have flocked to the lake, he said.

"We've been seeing a steady increase in the pelican population in the state in general," Glenzinski said.

Indeed, Big Muskego Lake has more of the big-winged residents than he has seen on nearby lakes that have groups of only 10 or 12, the DNR expert said. The reason could be that there are just a lot of fish in Big Muskego Lake, he said.

"Big Muskego Lake is a healthy fishery and a good place to find lunch," Glenzinski said. Pelicans dine on small fish such as the panfish abundant in Big Muskego and on small bass, he said.

While this year's temporary drawdown might be a draw to the pelicans, he doubted that it plays a major role.

The lower water makes it easier to see the fish, he said, but even with a full lake the pelicans would be there in healthy numbers.

Although the pelicans probably will stay all summer before joining the migration to the Gulf of Mexico, said Tom Zagar, Muskego conservation coordinator, they probably will not nest on Big Muskego Lake. The pelicans people are seeing are teenagers, he said, still too young to find mates and start a family.

But when they are ready to start a family, they probably will head up to the Horicon area, Glenzinski predicted.

Pelican couples usually nest in trees, and Big Muskego doesn't have a lot of those, he said.

So, Big Muskego Lake probably will remain a teenage hangout, he said.

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