Richard Moore Outdoor Report: Brown Pelican Documentary

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — It would be sad to contemplate a trip to the coast and not be able to enjoy the beauty of brown pelicans gracefully skimming surf at sunrise.

Today, any visit to the Lower Laguna Madre or South Padre Island is enhanced by the presence of Brown pelicans diving for fish or casually roosting on weathered docks.

However, by the late 1960s Brown pelicans were almost extinct in Texas and in 1970 were placed on the federal endangered species list.

When I was a youngster growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, the Brown pelican had almost completely vanished from the Texas coast due to widespread use of the harmful pesticide DDT and nesting island disturbance.

During my lifetime, I have witnessed the phenomenal recovery of this iconic species thanks to the banning of DDT and the protection of nesting sites.

In 2009 Brown pelicans were removed from the endangered species list, and their numbers have now increased to more than 12,000 breeding pairs along the Texas coast.

The astonishing rebound of the Brown pelican represents both a sad saga of mankind’s near elimination of a species and emblematic of a beloved bird’s ability to recover if proper steps are taken.

The restoration of the Brown pelican is an inspiring story for our time when wildlife globally is under assault amidst pervasive pessimism for the natural world, as the remarkable return of the Brown pelican vividly illustrates one of the world’s greatest wildlife success stories.

Catch a 30-minute special on, Aug. 10 about the return of the Brown Pelican at 5 p.m. on CBS and on Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. on NBC.