LETTER: Pelicans were not a surprise

 At this time of year, American white pelicans can be found in many parts of North America so I'm not surprised that you've seen them in Kentucky.

What would be most helpful is if you would record the sighting at eBird, a centralized database of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society that allows birders to report their sightings and enables scientists to use them for analysis.  

You might like to explore eBird on your own, www.ebird.org, and learn yet more about what this online checklist has to offer. It would be great if you could begin regularly reporting birds that you see on eBird (regardless of whether your sightings are unusual or not). By contributing your observations to eBird, you not only share your sightings with researchers here at Cornell, but with a global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists and conservation biologists and, of course, other birders.

There's so much going on at the Lab that is fascinating. To learn more about some of those activities, sign up for our monthly eNewsletter at www.birds.cornell.edu. 

I also encourage you to visit our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/cornellbirds, where there is a community of people who are always asking and answering questions about birds.

Anne Hobbs

Public Information Specialist

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

http://www.birds.cornell.edu