la jolla

Pelicans flock to La Jolla Children's Pool by the hundreds

An expert from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that pods of pelicans are here to roost before heading off to breed

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There are a lot of pelicans in La Jolla right now.

A lot.

“This is just fantastic,” beamed Jim Grant as he clicked another photo. “They're just so fantastic. They have so many features that they were created with that just are mind-boggling.”

Grant finds each bird fascinating. He’ll stand along the shore in La Jolla and Ocean Beach to take hundreds of pictures every day. Grant said he’s never taken a picture like the ones he took Sunday at the La Jolla Children’s Pool.

“Just thousands of pelicans all over,” a smiling Grant said. “You couldn't even see the sand there were so many birds on that sand.”

Hundreds of birds on a beach.
Jim Grant
Hundreds of pelicans rested at the La Jolla Children's Pool Sunday.
Jim Grant's picture of pelicans off the coast of La Jolla

Tammy Russell, a Ph.D. candidate with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said the pelicans likely came to the area to roost. She said they’re feeding and resting before heading to their usual breeding locations around the Channel Islands. Russell said the pelicans would likely be here a while if there’s enough to eat.

That made Grant happy.

“They’re just really fantastic creatures," Grant said. "No doubt about that.”

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