GREAT BAY (May 23, 2000) — It looks like the Brown Pelican, St. Martin’s national bird, is flourishing in the Great Salt Pond again.
“Over the last few weeks more than the usual number of folks repeatedly drew my attention to the large number of pelicans in the Great Salt Pond and visible from the WJA Nisbeth Road, especially across from the GEBE main office,” said Lasana M. Sekou. National Symbols of St. Martin, the popular book edited by Sekou contains some of the most comprehensive history and fun features about the graceful and resourceful bird and its links to St. Martin.
Early morning joggers, and late afternoon car, bus, and taxi drivers and passengers are claiming more pelican sightings than usual. Over the last three weeks visitors have been snapping away with cameras and zooming with camcorders at the busy fishing and frolicking activity of the old brownies.
“In some years and at certain times each year the ponds, the lagoon, and some bays do seem to teem with extra pelicans. We saw that especially after Hurricane Luis,” noted Sekou. “This time I think there are more pelicans visible from the WJA Nisbeth Road because the pond lots at the entrance of the Sucker Garden Road, coming from the city, are more shallow than usual so the birds are flocking to other feeding areas of the great pond.”
Whatever the reasons, this proud symbol of St. Martin is attracting people to pause, wonder, and maybe smile. “I think the late Joe Vliegen, who was a dedicated St. Martin conservationist, must be smiling now. And people like Ruby Bute, Roland Richardson, and Elsje Wilson and folks from the Nature Foundation must feel a special pride when the general public slows down to admire and enjoy the beauty and nature of our island,” mused Sekou. The pelican tend to nest on St. Martin’s Atlantic coast.