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Lost pelican in Mount Magnet was the ‘squawk’ of the town

Headshot of Liam Beatty
Liam BeattyMidwest Times
Frank the pelican spent two in the care of Michelle Jones before he was released.
Camera IconFrank the pelican spent two in the care of Michelle Jones before he was released. Credit: Supplied

An unusual visitor to Mount Magnet was the “squawk” of the town last week, with residents amused to find a pelican more than a little lost at the local airport.

The pelican, who came to be known as Frank, was healthy, if a bit dehydrated, and had locals puzzling over how the seabird came to be 350km inland.

Wildlife carer Michelle Jones was called on Tuesday to step in and help Frank get back to his natural habitat.

“I think it’s been a long time since someone had seen a pelican in Mount Magnet,” she said.

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“He was the talk of the town.”

Ms Jones has been a wildlife carer in the Mid West for 15 years and said pelicans had “popped up” a few times over the years in odd locations such as Mullewa and Yalgoo, but never this far inland.

Greenough Wildlife and Bird Park manager Michelle Jones.
Camera IconGreenough Wildlife and Bird Park manager Michelle Jones. Credit: Ellie Honeybone/Midwest Times

She said there was no way to tell how Frank had ended up where he did.

“For all we know, he could have taken a wrong turn,” she said.

“A lot of people don’t know that pelicans are actually transoceanic birds and are capable of flying long distances.”

She said he was not the happiest in Mount Magnet and was seen being harassed by crows. The wayward pelican was caught by locals and put on a mine transfer bus to Geraldton, where he was taken into the care of Ms Jones at the Geraldton Greenough Wildlife Rescue.

“He spent about 48 hours with us in a little paddling pool, where we got him back to normal,” she said.

It was a happy ending for Frank, who was released on Thursday at the Greenough River mouth near Geraldton and was last seen in the company of other pelicans.

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