One of nature”s greatest wildlife spectacles is occurring right now at Clear Lake. Water birds such as pelicans, grebes, sea gulls and ducks are arriving by the thousands. A drive along Highway 20 from Nice to the Narrows will reveal thousands of water birds. The reason they are returning to Clear Lake is because of the resurgence of the threadfin shad.
I first noticed the shad while fishing in the Clear Lake Bassmasters tournament last weekend. The schools of shad stretched from just north of Nice all the way down to the Narrows, and the fish-eating birds were following the shad. Hundreds of ruddy ducks and coots also have arrived at the lake.
Many people believe the shad died off last winter but enough survived to spawn. Now they are back by the millions. Local fishing guide Bob Myskey lives in Nice and he said the shad and the birds started appearing late last week.
“I thought the shad had all died off but they are back, which is good news for the bass in the lake,” Myskey said. “On Saturday I observed a flock of pelicans feeding on the shad right under my dock. It was an awesome sight.”
One problem with the large schools of shad is that it”s nearly impossible to catch a bass, according to Myskey.
What are drawing the bird watchers are the white pelicans. They are all along the shore on Highway 20 and are one of the most colorful and graceful birds on the lake without a doubt. They are called the American white pelican. Years ago only a few of these great birds would annually visit Clear Lake, but during the past five years the population has skyrocketed. Presently there are approximately 500 pelicans here and more are arriving daily.
The reason the pelicans are here is because of the explosion of threadfin shad in the lake.
White pelicans are large birds weighing up to 20 pounds and owning a 9 1/2-foot wingspan. They sit high on the water in spite of their size because their bones are full of air and they have large air sacs in their body. Because of this they cannot dive underwater. Their primary food is fish and crustaceans. An adult pelican can consume up to five pounds of fish per day.
White pelicans have a yellowish pouch connected to the bottom of their bill that stretches up to six inches. Their bodies are solid white with black wing tips. During the mating season the male develops a large growth on the upper part of his beak. The bill is also bright orange during the mating season, their feet are orange and are webbed, and their legs are extremely short. A pelican has a hard time walking on land.
Unlike other species of pelicans, which dive for their food from great heights, the white pelican scoops small fish up into its pouch while swimming. The pelican dips its beak, which allows the water to drain out of the pouch. The pouch can hold up to three gallons of water. It then tips its bill upward and swallows the fish.
How they actually catch their fish is what makes the birds so fascinating. A flock of a dozen or more pelicans will surround a school of baitfish and then by flapping their wings on the surface will drive the fish into the shallow water, where the birds scoop up the fish.
The flight of the pelican is beauty in motion. The bird”s large wing surface area allows it to make a few flaps and then glide for several hundred yards. When flocked they usually fly in a single file or a v-pattern. Their flight is often described as “follow-the-leader” because if the lead bird makes a dip all the other birds make the same dip.
Along with the pelicans and other water birds there is a flock of several hundred mergansers. These are fish-eating ducks and are extremely fast underwater swimmers. They also are feeding on the shad.
A year ago when the shad experienced a massive die-off, the water birds disappeared from the lake, though that has all changed within the past two weeks. It just goes to show that nothing stays the same on Clear Lake and it”s one of the most diverse bodies of water in the country.
Klinger wins FLW tourney
Nevada fisherman Tim Klinger of Boulder City took top honors in the recent FLW bass tournament held at Clear Lake. Klinger brought a total weight of 89 pounds, 12 ounces to the scales during the four-day event. He won $125,000. Local angler Jeff Billings finished seventh with 73 pounds, 15 ounces and won $17,583. The winning co-angler was Folsom”s Justin Lucas, who had a three-day weight of 54 pounds, 1 ounce. He collected $25,000.
The team of Brian Whitney and Bob Hagg of Petaluma won the annual Clear Lake Bassmasters Bass Derby held Saturday with a weight of 19.54 pounds.
