Pink pelican spotted in Zealand

A rare pink pelican was spotted in the village Wemeldinge in Zealand, Friday morning. The last time a pink pelican was spotted in the Netherlands was in 2006 in Den Helder, according to forester Ted Sluijter of "Natuurmonumenten." The feathers of the pelican are intact, it's withdrawn, and it isn't ringed, leading the forester to think the bird is indeed wild.

Birds from a zoo are always ringed and used to people, and their feathers are not usually intact. A committee of independent spotters went down to Wemeldinge to establish whether the pelican is indeed wild. The pelican is not alone. Three pink pelicans were spotted Thursday over Gent in Belgium, a few hours later two more were spotted over Neeltje Jans, at the mouth of the Oosterschelde. Presumably the pelicans are just passing by on their way to warmer regions. In November, last year, a sparrow hawk caused hundreds of spotters to travel to Zwolle, to spot the bird that has only been seen three times in the Netherlands in the past 100 years.