A couple weeks ago I was heading out for an evening of walleye fishing on Saginaw Bay with my son James.
When we passed by the “man made island” near the mouth of the Saginaw River we saw something that caught our attention. There were four, big white birds standing on a sandbar on the south side of the island. At first I thought they were egrets, or even swans, but as we got closer you could see there was a pouch hanging off their long beaks.
I’d seen birds like this in Florida and Mexico, but I’d never seen pelicans in Michigan before.
James and I looked at each other, and back at the birds several times to be sure we weren’t seeing things. We both agreed….they were pelicans.
I was reluctant to mention this to anybody because I was afraid they’d think I was crazy. Eventually I called the local DNR wildlife biologist, Rex Ainsley. He told me mine was the first report on the Bay for the season, but there had been others in previous years.
Rex also said he’d seen pelicans down on Lake Erie when he was working there a few years ago and he told me of similar sightings on Beaver Island in Northern Lake Michigan in previous years.
I mentioned seeing the birds on my radio show and immediately heard from Ed DeVries, the manager of the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw County. Ed said they’d seen pelicans there before, and even sent me a picture of them.
Ed also said he had talked to a veteran bird watcher who recently saw twenty two pelicans on Lake Michigan off Manistee.
It seems for some reason a few pelicans have gotten off course during their annual migration and ended up here in the Great Lakes. There’s speculation they might even be breeding here and raising their young.
I don’t know what the future is for pelicans here in the north country. But I can tell you four of them made for a unique fishing trip on Saginaw Bay a few weeks ago.
July 6 2009. Just returned from a camping trip to Ludington Michigan. We were boating on Hamlin Lake. There was a large group of swans. A large white bird with black tipped wings flew right by us. It was definitely a pelican. It joined the swans and stayed with them for a few hours. We even viewed it with our binoculars. Pretty amazing. We have been going to Hamlin Lake for many years, but this was our first pelican sighting.
Hi Mary Jane,
Thanks for the update. It seems pelicans are showing up more across our state. Who would have ever thought that would happen….
Let me know if you see any more…and thanks again for the comment.
Mike Avery
July 12 2009 My son and i saw 12 pelicans fly over us on Muskegon Lake
…and even more reports…..thanks
I also had a flock of pellicans fly right over my head on Big Manistique in the U.P. Macinac co. on July 20 2009. Twelve or thirteen of them.
Thanks John,
I appreciate you letting me know.
I’m learning more about those white pelicans that seem to be showing up all over the place.
Originally, I had assumed they were the same birds that cruise the shoreline in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve since learned the white pelicans are actually native to northern Minnesota.
With that in mind, maybe it’s not so odd were seeing them around Michigan.
We have a condo on Manistee Lake in Manistee, Michigan. There are two white pelicans here. This is the second summer in a row that they have been here. We have really been enjoying watching them! Amazing!
I think this is just Great!,,, I love Pelicans,,, I just moved to Leelanau County, Michigan from Minnesota where we have Lakes and towns named for the Pelicans but in Minnesota their numbers are in decline due to the draining of the Minnesota Wetlands and Marshes. Of course many Uneducated Minnesotans think Pelicans eat all the fish and leave non for fishing,,, odd considering that they have been there for over many thousands of years before mankind and certainly before the coming of the Overkill White-man came. I hope we can expect they to start nesting here in the Benzie and Leelanau Counties of Michigan. hopefully they will not be shot,,,, some up here thing that to 3 river Otters are Killing All the fish at Glen Lake,,,,, the scale of the lake and 3 Otters,, it’s just unbelievable that some people thing that way!!! Of course now the Brown Pelicans of Louisiana are more threaten than ever with BP’s huge and underestimated Oil Spill.
I spotted two huge soaring white birds over Muskegon Lake from my office window. Turned my telescope on them and couldn’t believe I was seeing pelicans. I had to look them up to see if this was even possible in Michigan. They are unmistakeable with huge beaks and black tiped wings with a wingspan greater than eagles. They left after a couple hours. I certainly hope I see them again someday.
Was in Oscoda this past weekend and there was a White Pelican swimming off the beach. What an odd sight indeed. Thanks for the post here so I could confirm what had my head shaking in disbelief.
I live in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan and while at White City, a pier and beach on Lake Superior, my cousin and I saw a pelican scooping up fish and at first just thought it was a seagull on steroids from a distance. After watching it for a while and having other people at the beach confirm it we realized it was a pelican. I had no idea they could make their way all the way up here.
On Aug 24th my husband, son and I saw a flock of very large white birds circling over the river and the docks at Bay Harbor Marina on the Saginaw River. They had a black band on the under sides of their wings. There were 10 in the flock. We looked for a long time before my husband said I think they are pelicans. That is what all of us were thinking but didn’t think it made sense that they would be here in MI. We got out the binoculars and they looked just like the white pelicans in the bird book! The next few days we saw the pelicans on a very small island to the northwest of the mouth of the saginaw river on Saginaw Bay. I am very glad to here that others have sighted the white pelicans also.
Yes, those are pelicans. I’ve seen them in the same area. Pretty cool.
On Thursday Sept.30th. my husband and I were heading for Charlevoix, and what to my surprise, there stood four pelicans at the farms watering hole. We were on the north line of Antrim Co. Michigan. Of course Gary told me impossible, you woul;dn’t see pelicans in this cold climate, but I know what I saw. So I had to do a search to prove my sanity. Thank you for the comformation that there have been sightings. Lois
You are welcome Lios. Lots of folks are surprised to hear we have pelicans here in the north country. They aren’t the same ones as down south, but still pretty cool.
Yesterday Dec 17th 2010 My husband and I were driving into Bay Harbor Marina. We always slow down to check out our resident bald eagles. We often site up to 3 eagles around their nest. Yesterday there were 15!!! As we studied them an extremely large one flew over. It did not have the correct markings for the Bald eagle mature or immature. After checking the bird books we feel like it was an immature Golden Eagle!! Anyone else see this/
deb Parker
Thanks Deb,
Michigan eagles are very visible right now as they get ready for nesting season coming up soon. I saw seven last week in an area where normally only two birds are around. I think the immature was probably a bald eagle. I haven’t heard of any golden eagles here.
Twice in the past two days I have seen what is clearly a pelican circling over the south end of Boardman Lake, in Traverse City (there are several marshes along the Boardman River as it exits the lake to the south; these would likely make a good stop-over point on a migration; indeed, we have many migratory birds during this time of year). The previous owner of my building said he had seen them in recent years, but I was skeptical. I’ve definitely changed my mind! What a beautiful sight!
When I first saw those birds on Saginaw Bay I was reluctant to tell anybody because I figured they’d think I was crazy. It’s nice to know they really do exist here.
Pretty sure I just witnessed a flock of 10 or so huge white pelicans flying over the north end of th Big Mac bridge. They were awesome and heading NW.
As long as four years ago, my family and I saw three white pelicans circling the lower harbor marina in Marquette, Michigan. They were an unusual and amazing sight to see in the U.P. Nobody believed me, glad to know I’m not the only one who has witnessed them in Michigan.
Yesterday 6/30/11 sailing over to Washington island, Wi spotted a white pelican off of Fairport, Mi, was amazed! Did not know they were here in Mi. I told my Dad about it and he said just the other day in Garden, MI he spotted a flock of white pelicans flying overhead.
I just saw 3 pelicans on Pere Marquette Lake in Ludington, MI. I have never seen pelicans north of Florida. I’m glad they are here.
i live in lansing michigan and saw a pelican clear as day on lake lansing i got about 20 yards from it and i knew right away what it was. i pulled out my bird book later that night and saw that they migrate through michigan during the spring and summer but are rare. people think im crazy but it was clear as day one, i reconize it from florida after going there 5 times a year for years. amazing stuff.
Yep, they’re around for sure. Though I have been told these are a northern bird….not the same ones we see down south.
I was camping at Wells State Park near Menominee, MI last weekend witness about 100 pelicans feeding on a fish that had recently spawned. When they took flight it was a site to see as they tried to get into their V formations. Pretty awesome!
I live in West Branch, we have woods on on side & a small stream running through our yard. Yesterday I witnessed a big bird land in my yard. It was more light grey and it was a Pelican. Before I could get the camera loaded on my phone it flew into the woods, I walked to the edge & peered in but either it was gone or staying very still because I could not find it. has anyone else ever seen a grey one?