Pelicans No Longer Dive in Smokehouse Bay

Pelicans cruise over waterways seeking food. If they see a fish, they dive. If they just cruise around, it means there are no fish. Pelicans will not waste energy by diving into the water if there are no fish there. This is a natural “tell” for polluted waterways.

An organism that has been described as “a world-wide sentinel species to assess and monitor environmental pollution in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries” is the osprey, a large raptor bird with a wingspan that can exceed 1.5 meters and a mass up to two kilograms. Found in all continents throughout the word, except Antarctica, the osprey feeds almost exclusively on fish. 

There used to be an osprey nest on Marker 13 in Smokehouse Bay in front of our house. We observed many generations inhabiting the nest and delighted in the parents raising the chicks. Lots of noisy “bird arguments.” Osprey no longer nest on Marker 13. Eagles no longer perch at the top of the Norfolk Pine in our yard, which provided a wide view of the bay. 

There are no longer any fish in Smokehouse Bay due to record low oxygen in the water because of “reclaimed” water pollution. Reclaimed water is partially treated sewage distributed across the island for irrigation at condos along the beach and the two golf courses. 

The Marco waterways are becoming eutrophic and clogged with algae. Watch the birds as indicators of polluted waterways.