Resident pelican rescued in Ashland

Conservation Biologist Ryan Brady with the rescued pelican

ASHLAND, Wis. — A pelican in Ashland was rescued Wednesday, Dec 3, as increasing ice cover threatened it.

The pelican was first spotted back in September and stuck around for much longer than usual, becoming a bit of a local celebrity.

Over the past couple of months, Conservation Biologist Ryan Brady had been monitoring the bird.

He noted that it was active and seemed to be doing fine until this week.

After not seeing the bird in its usual spots for a couple days, he found the pelican in the area it was first seen, and in need of assistance.

“It allowed a closer approach. It was unable to find a good roosting spot because all of the rocks and pilings were covered with ice. It had some ice on its feathers, so it was unable to kind of preen properly and maintain itself. And then it came on to shore as well. And all those things kind of added up to say, you know, the bird wasn’t doing well, and it was time to try to intervene.” Ryan Brady, Conservation Biologist in the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation with Wisconsin DNR.

With the assistance of a colleague, he was able to capture the bird using a long-handled net.

The bird was transferred to the Raptor Education Group in Antigo, WI, for rehabilitation.

They’ll monitor and care for the bird, figure out why it stayed so long, and decide if it can be released.

Brady emphasized that this was one chapter in the bird’s journey.

The outcome isn’t certain, but updates will be shared when they can, either from Brady or the Raptor Education Group.