Pete's Blog

Hi everybody, Pelican Pete here with some new news and notes!!!

It's been awhile since I blogged so I'm going to talk about a few things today.

One thing I wanted to tell you about is  a really cool place in Florida where a lot of my relatives live and it is called Pelican Island.   I love that there is actually an island named for me. The full name is Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is quite historic, actually. All the way back in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt designated it as the Nation's first National Wildlife Refuge to protect brown pelicans and other native birds nesting on the island. No one in the federal government had ever set aside land for the sake of wildlife before. Check out this website!  I think it's really exciting!

(picture is courtesy of USFWS)

Also, remember I told you about the Great Backyard Bird Count a few months ago.Well, the results are in and I'm happy to say that a huge!!! number of my feathered friends were spotted and recorded. Here are the statistics: 

You can check out all the details at this website.

You can get the details of your own state and city there. It lists all the different kinds of birds and how many were spotted. I don't even recognize the names of some of the birds. See which ones you know.

Now for a really special news story that is good for all kids, especially here in Florida. Governor Charlie Crist signed the "Get Outdoors Florida!"  resolution -

...that also includes the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights which says that every child has the right to...

    Swim in a healthy lake
    Build a sandcastle or outdoor fort
    Camp out under the stars
    Climb a tree
    Catch a fish
    Hike a path
    Watch a bird
    Listen to a cricket, bird or frog
    Smell a wildflower
    Explore nature
    Volunteer to help wildlife
    Celebrate Florida’s heritage

These are the kinds of things that Fran and Hugh encourage all the time. This would be a good opportunity to start a journal or log where you keep track of the fun things you do outside every day. If you want, send me some emails telling me what you like best about being outdoors and we will post them on our website.Send your art and stories about your outdoor adventures too – share those experiences with the rest of us.

So until the next time, Get Outdoors! and explore the nature in your own backyard and neighborhood.

Your Pal,

Making Movie Magic

Remember my pal, Keaton Bicknell?  He’s 11 years old and going to be the youngest screenwriter in the world making a movie. That’s so cool!  The movie includes me and the job I have helping you to get to know about nature.
 
Here’s an update on what’s been happening.

January 11, 2009 was one exciting day! Before the sun came up people started arriving at my home in Crescent Beach, Florida–Pelican Perch. There were cameramen, a soundman, grips (they “grip,” move, and set up the equipment), electricians, a gaffer (head electrician), editors, set dressers, wardrobe and makeup people, photographers, caterers, craft service (snack and drink servers), producers, directors, crew, assistants, actors, extras, and parents of the kids. 

I never realized how many people and how much stuff it takes to make a movie!

 It was some big group—like me and my pelican buddies when we gather on sandbars. All the crew were Keaton's buddies who came to help him out. Don't you feel good when you help your friends?

Keaton was the director and most important person in the movie crew. He is one amazing boy! He knows all about making movies. He was able to talk to all the crew about their equipment and what it takes to do their jobs. When he was directing, I heard him yell ”action” and “cut.” Keaton has autism, but that doesn’t let it stop him.

The whole Bicknell family was part of the action. Keaton’s sister Samantha is a photographer, dad Stuart was the camerman, his mom Pam headed craft service, and his grandma, Claire Fredette, was the actress who played the movie Grandma.

My family took part in the action too. Hugh Keiser, my illustrator, was the actor playing the movie grandpa. Frances Keiser, who writes my Pelican Pete books, was helping out wherever she was needed, and team members Jennifer Sellars and Kathy Shea helped out too.

Cameron Sparks and Maggie Widener were the actors playing the boy and girl in the movie. They were awesome! I can’t wait until you see them—and my movie. I’ll send you more information on that as soon as I know more.

 

 

 

Until next time, as Keaton would say,

“That’s a wrap!”

Great Backyard Bird Count

You know that I always encourage you to go outside and explore and discover nature.  Now here’s a way for you to join others from around the country and Canada, count your discoveries, and make them count for science.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is going to happen from February 13–16. That’s just a short time away. 
 
To get all the details, you can go to the main page or go directly to the special kids page where they have games, bird id lists, posters, certificates and  all kinds of good stuff.

This count is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Here is what they say about the project:

"The Great Backyard Bird Count (or GBBC) is an event that takes place over four days in February each year. It's very easy! All you have to do is watch birds in your yard, a nearby park, or maybe at your school. Then you tell us what you saw by entering your bird list online. We collect that information from people all over the United States and Canada so scientists can learn what kind of birds are being seen in the winter and whether there are more or fewer of them than before."

Here are the numbers from last year:

Total Checklists Submitted: 85,725
Total Species Observed: 635
Total Individual Birds Counted: 9,805,216

That’s a lot of birds!  I wonder how many of them were Pelicans?

I also see a couple of words in this story that some of you may not know: "Ornithology" and "Audubon". Why don’t you look them up and let me know what you find out about them. You can always send me an e-mail at Pelican Perch in care of Pete's Mail Bag.

Until next time, keep exploring and discovering.

Meet Hugh and Learn about St. Augustine

My Neighborhood,Hugh Keiser,St. Augustine,Drawing,Illustration,Discoveries,Bridge of Lions

I mentioned in another post that Pelican Perch is located in Crescent Beach, Florida which is just a short distance from St. Augustine so I wanted to include a picture that Hugh Keiser drew of scenes from St. Augustine.   Hugh does all the illustrations in my books and he is a really good artist, don't you think?

St. Augustine is very old. In fact, it’s our nation’s oldest city. I explored St. Augustine, and learned about it in one of my books, First Discoveries. I visited the lighthouse, and heard about the Bridge of Lions. That was scary because I thought there would be real lions! I learned that we can all be good stewards of the land and when homes, schools, and offices are being built, we can save places for wildlife like me and my pals. You can learn more about First Discoveries here, and you can learn more about St. Augustine here.

I'll be back soon. Until then, keep exploring! 
 

Check out my book on another blog

Wildlife Institute,Pelican Pete,Habitats,Naturalists,Books

Fran got an email from Tom Patrick, of the Windstar Wildlife Institute.  He wanted her to know that he posted a new feature on his blog. It's about my book series and entitled, "Kids Will Love the Pelican Pete Books." He even included a picture of one of the books.  (Here's a link to a page on my website that shows all my books.) I was happy to see that. If you want to see it as well, you can click on this link to the Windstar Blog. You can also check out his main site Windstar Wildlife Institute. He has some great information about birds, animals, habitats and native plants.  He also helps people to become master naturalists and to turn their yards into wildlife habitats.  That way, more animals will live there and visit them.

It's so much fun to see who's visiting.

I'll be back soon with another visitor to Pelican Perch that I want to tell you about.

Keep enjoying the outdoors!