Pelican lands in Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T., 1,000 km north of breeding colony

A far off-course pelican dropped in on Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T., over the weekend, briefly becoming a local celebrity.

On Saturday afternoon Mickey Andre was out with his fishing nets when he noticed a large white bird that he at first took for a swan.

"It's bigger than a swan and its beak is a lot bigger, that's how I noticed it," he said. "Pelican, right away I thought."

N.W.T. wildlife biologist Suzanne Carriere confirmed the photos show an American white pelican, which is one of the largest birds in North America, with wingspans of up to three metres.

Tsiigehtchic is north of the Arctic Circle and about 1,000 kilometres north of the American white pelican's northernmost breeding colony at Fort Smith, N.W.T.

When Andre posted the photos on Facebook, many people commented on the bird overshooting its probable destination. "Missed pelican rapids, lol," wrote one commenter, referring to a point on the Slave River by that name. Another said, "Put it on the plane back to Fort Smith."

Andre said the bird attracted attention.

"Everybody started coming down, they wanted to get a picture, too, eh."

The bird kept its distance from onlookers but didn't turn down a free meal when Andre dumped his fish scraps on the shore to share with the birds.

"When I did that it actually flew over there, too, and had some food."

But the pelican didn't stick around.

"He took off. I think he's Aklavik-bound," Andre joked. "He's pretty lost, that bird."