Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Quinn Woodring, left, Ana Ayala, Luna Tran, Jenner Yamane-Woodring, and Mia Tran, right, watch as two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Debbie McGuire, right, executive director of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center cheers as two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two American white pelicans are released at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The birds were nursed back to health by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center for over a year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
After being grounded for more than a year, two adult American white pelicans took to the air at Mason Regional Park on Wednesday.
The birds slowly walked from their cages and seemed to put on a show for onlookers as they walked around and stretched their wings. Then, as people cheered, they took to the air and flew to the middle of the Irvine park’s lake.
The pelicans are two of three birds brought to the center dehydrated and with broken flight feathers on both of their wings and broken tail feathers. The other pelican was released after a few months care.
Wednesday, release day for the remaining two, was day 376 of a, “very, very, long recovery” said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center.
McGuire said she expects the birds, which cost the Huntington Beach-based center more than $33,000 to feed during their recovery, to start migrating north soon.
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