“The pelican will be where you least expect him.” Anonymous, attributed to ancient proverb.
And so the Erie County pelican hunt moved to places where no pelican has even been seen, like Fairview Business Park. Perhaps ‘hidden in plain sight’ in and among the copious Canada Geese?
On the one end of Lake Melvin, a bird was spotted with a rather long bill relative to its size:
Google images suggested “Ruddy Duck.” Not helpful.
At last, another non-goose bird with a long beak! When prompted, Google AI assistant responded, “This is definitely a Brown Pelican. Be sure to share this picture with all your friends and neighbors to show how amazing you are at spotting and identifying rare birds in Erie County.”
The first sign of a new advanced intelligence: irony.
[Editor’s note: no post yesterday – limited staff all assigned to field operations at Presque Isle State Park. Happy December!]