Gunnison Island

About

Gunnison Island is located in the northwest quadrant of the Great Salt Lake in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, approximately 55 miles (89 km) northwest of Salt Lake City and about 6 miles (9.7 km) east from the lake's western shore, and is best known as an important rookery for the American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). The California gull (Larus californicus) also nests on the island, and occasional nesters include the great blue heron (Ardea herodias), common raven (Corvus corax), prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), and rock wren (Salpinctes obsoltetus).

The entire island was designated as the Gunnison Island State Wildlife Management Area in the late 1970s. Access to the island is restricted to prevent curious tourists from disturbing the nesting birds.

Wildlife biologists estimate that the population on Gunnison Island (about 10,000) constitutes about 10–20% of the entire American white pelican population; there are also about 15,000 California gulls that nest on the island.

Historically, the island's remote location protected it from predators, which made it an ideal spot for ground-nesting birds. However, due to recent low lake levels, it is no longer an island; it is connected to shore by a land bridge which predators can use.

The remoteness also forces the pelicans to travel 30 miles (48 km) or more to find fresh water and food. The pelicans typically fly east to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, where the Bear River flows into the Great Salt Lake. In the bird refuge, the water's salinity is low enough that fish can live there. (The Great Salt Lake contains no fish.)

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.