American White Pelicans Return To Will County

WILL COUNTY, IL — The American white pelicans have been spotted flying overhead and making stops in Will County the past few weeks, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

These large white birds are awkward on land, the preserve said, but are good swimmers and flyers. In flight, the birds also reveal jet-black feathers on their wingtips that contrast their otherwise-white plumage.

Pelicans usually start being spotted locally in late February or early March each year, stopping by on their way to their breeding grounds in the Dakotas and Canada after wintering along the Gulf of Mexico, according to the preserve. The birds don't stay in the area for long, and will usually disappear by mid-spring.

They will arrive back in the area sometime in September, sticking around until sometime in November, the preserve said.

There are no guarantees on where the pelicans will appear, but some plans you might spot them include McKinley Woods - Kerry Sheridan Grove in Channahon, Rock Run Rookery Preserve in Joliet and Lake Renwick Preserve in Plainfield.

At Lake Renwick, you can sometimes spot them from Copley Nature Park, where they'll tuck themselves behind the islands to protect themselves from the wind, said Jess McQuown, an interpretive naturalist at Four Rivers. Away from the preserves, another pelican hot spot is along Front Street by the boat launch in Channahon, the preserve said.