10/26/2026
The Brown Pelican: A History of Dauphin Island, Alabama
Brown Pelicans Perching
The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), one of the most recognizable birds along Alabama's Gulf Coast. Its presence on that weathered piling is a fitting image of Dauphin Island's long relationship with the sea, fishing, coastal wildlife, and conservation.
For generations, brown pelicans have been part of the natural history of Dauphin Island and the surrounding waters of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
1. The brown pelican's long history on the Gulf Coast
Brown Pelicans Perching
Jon Hauge Photographer | Nesting Pelicans at Gaillard Island | Mobile Bay
Brown Pelican
Brown pelicans are native coastal birds of the southeastern United States. They have inhabited the Gulf Coast for centuries, long before modern towns, fishing piers, bridges, and tourism developed.
Before European settlement: Pelicans were part of the coastal ecosystem, feeding on fish in shallow bays, estuaries, and nearshore Gulf waters.
During the fishing and maritime era: Pelicans became familiar companions to commercial fishermen, working waterfronts, and people living along the barrier islands. Their habit of resting on pilings and docks made them a common sight near boats and fishing areas.
During the 20th century: Their numbers declined dramatically in many parts of the United States because of pesticide contamination, particularly DDT, which interfered with eggshell formation and successful reproduction.
After conservation protections: Restrictions on harmful pesticides, legal protections, and habitat conservation helped brown pelican populations recover.
Brown pelicans were removed from the U.S. endangered species list in 2009 after substantial recovery. Their history is one of the best-known conservation success stories involving an American coastal bird.
2. The remarkable recovery of pelicans near Dauphin Island
Jon Hauge Photographer | Nesting Pelicans at Gaillard Island | Mobile Bay
One of the most important chapters in the brown pelican's local history happened in nearby Mobile Bay, just north of Dauphin Island.
In 1983, Alabama wildlife biologists recorded four nesting pairs of brown pelicans on Gaillard Island, a man-made island created from dredged material associated with the Theodore Ship Channel. This was a landmark event because nesting pelicans had not previously been recorded in Alabama in the modern breeding record.
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The colony grew rapidly over the following years. Gaillard Island became an important nesting site, demonstrating that even an artificial island can provide valuable wildlife habitat when conditions are suitable.
This is particularly relevant to Dauphin Island because the surrounding Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound waters form part of the same interconnected coastal ecosystem.
The lesson is striking: a bird once pushed toward disappearance could recover when pollution was reduced and suitable nesting habitat became available.
3. Why Dauphin Island is ideal for brown pelicans
Brown Pelicans Perching
Dauphin Island Pelican Landing
Wildlife Expeditions & Photography Adventures | SDM Adventures
Dauphin Island sits where several valuable habitats meet: the Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, tidal marshes, and shallow coastal waters.
These environments provide three essentials for pelicans:
Food: Brown pelicans eat fish such as menhaden, mullet, and anchovies. They spot prey from above and plunge into the water to catch it.
Resting places: Pilings, docks, jetties, sandbars, and small islands offer places to rest between feeding trips.
Nesting habitat: Protected coastal islands can provide nesting sites away from many land-based predators.
Alabama's wildlife agency identifies the brown pelican as a common Gulf Coast breeder. The birds typically nest in colonies and depend on suitable coastal islands and vegetation for successful reproduction.
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The pelican in your photograph is perched on a wooden piling, a typical resting behavior. Such structures provide a convenient place to conserve energy, dry off, and watch for fish.
4. Pelicans and the fishing culture of Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island Pelican Landing
Brown pelicans have become part of the everyday character of Dauphin Island. Their association with fishing boats, docks, and piers connects them to the island's working waterfront and recreational fishing traditions.
Anyone who has spent time around Gulf Coast fishing piers may recognize the familiar scene: pelicans lined up on pilings, watching anglers bring in fish or scanning the water for an easy meal.
Their relationship with fishermen has not always been peaceful. Historically, pelicans were sometimes killed because fishermen believed they competed for commercially valuable fish. They were also hunted for their feathers, which were used in fashionable hats. These pressures, combined with pesticide pollution and habitat loss, contributed to their decline.
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Today, pelicans are protected migratory birds. Fishing line, discarded hooks, plastic debris, and disturbance near nesting colonies remain important concerns.
5. The connection to hurricanes, erosion, and island conservation
Causeway Project Will Help Protect Access to Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island is a dynamic barrier island. Its beaches and marshes shift with storms, currents, tides, and sediment movement. Research by the U.S. Geological Survey documents substantial shoreline changes around the island over recent decades.
USGS Publications
Those changes matter for pelicans because nesting and resting areas can be flooded, eroded, or disturbed. A colony may flourish for years and then be affected by a major storm or a change in habitat.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 also underscored the vulnerability of Gulf Coast wildlife. Brown pelicans are particularly exposed to oil pollution because they feed, rest, and breed in coastal waters.
Dauphin Island's conservation work and marine research are therefore important not just for pelicans but for the broader ecosystem.
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab has contributed to marine education and research on the Gulf of Mexico since its origins in 1960.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
6. Where to learn more on Dauphin Island
Alabama Aquarium — School's Out Adventures
Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Learn about Mobile Bay, estuaries, coastal food webs, and the marine wildlife that supports birds such as the brown pelican.
Website: Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Audubon Bird Sanctuary
Audubon Bird Sanctuary
A valuable place to observe the island's birdlife and understand why coastal habitat conservation matters. The sanctuary is especially known for migratory birds, although pelican sightings vary.
Look for coastal birds along the island's shoreline and waterways.
7. A fascinating local history in numbers
1970
A conservation crisis
Brown pelicans were federally listed as endangered because of severe population declines associated with pesticides and other human pressures.
1983
A milestone in Alabama
Four nesting pairs were documented on Gaillard Island in Mobile Bay.
1985
Regional recovery
Brown pelicans in Alabama and Florida were removed from the federal endangered list.
2009
National recovery milestone
The remaining federally listed brown pelican populations were delisted.
Outdoor Alabama
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The story behind your photograph
Your photograph captures more than a coastal bird. That old piling, the calm water, and the pelican looking down toward the camera represent the everyday landscape in which brown pelicans have lived alongside people on Alabama's coast.
There is one important distinction in the historical record: Gaillard Island has a documented history as a major brown pelican nesting site, but that does not establish that the piling in your photograph is near a historic nesting colony. The bird's presence is consistent with the species' long-standing use of Dauphin Island's coastal waters.
