Fish, Friends and a Mighty Good Time!
On any given day of the week at precisely 3.30pm, the Pelican Feeding occurs at The Entrance waterfront on the NSW Central Coast. No matter the weather – (yes it is done in torrential blinding rain), or if its Christmas Day, the wonderful Marine Rescue volunteers give their time to do an amazing show for the public.
You might think the show is purely for entertainment purposes – and why wouldn’t you!? Its an great show! But actually its more so Marine Rescue can check on the pelicans, see if they have any injuries, check for new babies or track regulars that haven’t been returning for quite some time. Marine Rescue is not just about rescuing people. You will quite often see them have to catch a pelican throughout the show that has fishing line caught around its beak or legs and remove it. The pelican would more than likely die without the help of these volunteers, so credit where credit’s due.
I have read on-line some good and bad feedback about the daily pelican feed and have realised that you either love it or you hate it. Yes it can get a bit crazy – you are dealing with wild animals who do what they want. Yes it stinks of fish and there’s a good chance you might get a spatter of fish guts on you. And no, it’s not glamorous, so don’t bring your Fendi or Louis Vuitton along!
What it is though, is an amazing display of sometimes up to 100 beautiful birds that you get the chance to get up close and personal with and learn a little along the way. There aren’t too many places you get an opportunity like this. These incredible specimens can fly for up to 24 hours without a break and have followed me up and down the East Coast of Australia. They have become somewhat of a mascot for KAM and I when we travel, flying high above, like angels, ensuring we arrive at our destination safely.
And this is why most Saturday afternoons you will find me at ‘The Feed’, smiling my face off, stinking of fish and loving every minute. The pelicans are large, graceful animals who I consider my friends. I, like the other volunteers, love the pelicans and work hard to look out for them and protect them.
So next time you have a spare Saturday afternoon come and check out the show and say hello to me and my friends. You may love the show – you might not. But hopefully you will come away having had an out-of-the-ordinary experience and a lot of respect for those who devote their time to looking after one of the water’s greatest wonders.
The Entrance Pelican Feed
3.30pm Daily
Memorial Park
Off Marine Parade
The Entrance NSW
http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/central-coast/wyong-area/the-entrance/attractions/pelican-feeding