Animals on the move

One pelican, Virginia to Cuba

One brown pelican, followed from its nesting colony on Virginia's Eastern Shore down the coast to Cuba.

Medium: One bird's GPS track, May 2023 to May 2024, over NOAA elevation
Length: 42 s
Collection: Animals on the move, The Carolina coast
Posted: Nov 10, 2026

The story

The camera rides along with one bird, tagged SS07 and noted as "likely male" by the researchers who put a GPS tag on it in May 2023. It spends the summer circling its colony, moves up into the Chesapeake in the fall, and leaves in mid-November.

It works its way down the coast, past Carolina Beach, across from Key West, and reaches Cuba's north coast by Dec 18. It spends the winter on the south side of the island, near the Zapata peninsula. The camera pulls back while the bird travels and moves in when it settles.

What you're seeing

The gold line is the bird's path; the glow is where it is now.
Miles from the colony are straight-line miles.
The tag reported a position every hour or two.

Data

Have an interesting day.