Steve Pollick: Big flock of white pelicans, rarely seen in these parts, spotted at Ottawa NWR in Ohio

The continued eastward expansion into the Great Lakes of the range of the American white pelican, the second largest bird in North America, recently received an exclamation point along western Lake Erie with the spotting of some 500 of the great white birds at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in western Ottawa County, Ohio.
White pelicans, with wingspans that can stretch more than nine feet, are second only to the fabled California condor in terms of size. They can weigh anywhere from 8 to 30 pounds, averaging 11 to 20 pounds, and are distinctive for their “scoop-shovel” pouched bills.