The beautiful brown birds wasted no time, soaring above the sea once they were free.
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Volunteers from the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center of Orange County released five brown pelicans on Friday, Aug. 14, as crowds gathered on the Huntington Beach sand to watch them spread their wings once again.
“They came right out of their cages and flew right over the ocean. That is totally ideal of what you want to happen,” said volunteer coordinator Jaret Davey, noting the release took all of 20 seconds.
The birds came into the center for various reasons, including an oiled bird found in the Dana Point Harbor, another with fishing line wrapped around its leg, and three that were malnourished and showing signs of starvation.
All five showed signs of being affected by last spring’s “unexplained mortality event” when fish stocks – their food source – declined and birds were struggling in large numbers with malnourishment.
Five Brown pelicans fly to the water after being released by the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Orange County in Huntington Beach on Friday, August 14, 2026. The pelicans had been at the center for 2-3 months for a range of ailments, including starvation, hypothermia, and fishing line entanglement. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jaret Davey, volunteer coordinator at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Orange County, speaks to the crowd before the center released 5 Brown pelicans in Huntington Beach on Friday, August 14, 2026. The pelicans had been at the center for 2-3 months for a range of ailments, including starvation, hypothermia, and fishing line entanglement. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Orange County released 5 Brown pelicans in Huntington Beach on Friday, August 14, 2026. The pelicans had been at the center for 2-3 months for a range of ailments, including starvation, hypothermia, and fishing line entanglement. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People watch as five Brown pelicans are released by the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Orange County in Huntington Beach on Friday, August 14, 2026. The pelicans had been at the center for 2-3 months for a range of ailments, including starvation, hypothermia, and fishing line entanglement. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Staff at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Orange County prepare 5 Brown pelicans for release in Huntington Beach on Friday, August 14, 2026. The pelicans had been at the center for 2-3 months for a range of ailments, including starvation, hypothermia, and fishing line entanglement. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Orange County released 5 Brown pelicans in Huntington Beach on Friday, August 14, 2026. The pelicans had been at the center for 2-3 months for a range of ailments, including starvation, hypothermia, and fishing line entanglement. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Unusually warm waters and a forecast El Niño season are expected to have an impact on the health of seabirds later this year.
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“All the rules are going out the window; a lot is up in the air,” Davey said.
So far this year, the Huntington Beach center has released about two dozen rehabilitated birds back into the wild.
“It’s extremely fulfilling; it’s why we do what we do,” Davey said. “The opportunity to release birds that would have died in the wild, or not lived very long in the wild without intervention, is a wonderful feeling.”
There are still currently 16 pelicans under the center’s care, as well as several other birds, including songbirds, waterfowl such as ducks and geese, and one rare red-footed boobie that came in with hypothermia.
A pelican found at Corona del Mar on the Fourth of July is still being cared for, Davey said. The care center found a fishing line down its esophagus, and further X-rays showed not just a hook at the end of that line, but four more stuck in its body.
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The bird had to undergo surgeries and is still in active care.
To find out more about the center, visit wwccoc.org