White pelicans are winter visitors
If someone told you they saw white pelicans at Lake Marion within the past couple of months, they weren’t pulling your leg, and they weren’t mistaken.
But the birds don’t stick around too long. According to wildlife biologists, many of these white pelicans make a pit stop at the Santee Cooper lakes while heading back to Canada from their southern wintering spots in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
Plenty of other white pelicans (an increasing number according to the Audubon Society) are spending their entire winters here instead of continuing south.
One of the best places to see these birds each winter is the tree-lined stretch of water just off the banks of Bells Marina and Resort, a full-service locale with numerous lodging options, included RV sites and tiny homes, a boat ramp, boat slips, and much more, located at 12907 Old Number Six Hwy in Eutawville, SC (803-262-2181).
They spend winters at Santee for a number of reasons. Because the upper and lower lakes are full of fish, and the open water doesn’t freeze like it does up north, the white pelicans can practice their favorite feeding method, forming semicircles and herding fish into shallow water, then scooping them up with their big bills.
By March, many of the white pelicans have headed out, but smaller numbers often remain until late March and even early April.
Their presence here is good news. It means fish are abundant, the water quality is good, and the weather here is relatively stable throughout typical winters.
If you have never seen the white pelicans at Santee, start looking for them around December, and you’ll have a good chance of spotting them. ■
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