ASTORIA, Ore. -- Juvenile brown pelicans are being found starving and dehydrated along the Oregon and Washington coasts.
On Wednesday, a pelican was spotted on the Long Beach Peninsula. So far this month, six others were brought to the Wildlife Center of the North Coast from as far south as Newport and Cannon Beach. Two of the six have since died.
An early migration from California is to blame.
"Once they're old enough to fly, they just start migrating north following the fish." Executive Director of the Wildlife Center, Josh Saranpaa said. "These guys are young, inexperienced pelicans, so they ran into trouble on their way up."
Having pelicans brought in is nothing new for the wildlife center. It's just early in the year.
"One of our specialties, we do a lot of brown pelicans every year, typically (in) summertime, we know we're going to get pelicans." Saranpaa said.
With the big migration of pelicans yet to come north, this could be just the beginning.
"I'm just more worried that they're not doing well, we're going to have a mass die off. Kind of what the rehab centers down in California are seeing right now, starving and dying. It's what we call a die-off."
Once the migration happens and more pelicans come north, the healthy pelicans will be released out into the wild and back with the others.