At least 250 brown pelicans have been treated over the past month at the International Bird Rescue Research Center in San Pedro, according to the center. Other rescue groups in California and Oregon are either full or near capacity. It happened last year too, and was eventually blamed on severe weather. From the Daily Breeze:

Over the past month, Wallerstein has spotted starving pelicans lying on roadways, along the beach and in front of homes. A long pole and net are usually needed to capture pelicans, but the birds have become so weakened that Wallerstein is able to walk up, grab their beaks and place them into cages.

"They're really easy to catch right now, which is not a good thing because it just shows how disoriented and unhealthy they are right now," Wallerstein said.

Researchers are stumped in finding a reason for the mass starvation and deaths among brown pelicans. The birds suffered frostbite and became weakened during last year's migration season, likely caused by storms in Central California.

Photo: Sean Hiller / Daily Breeze