6/11/12 Sam came by the Pier

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Sam came by the pier today for a nice long visit and provided the visitors with some great photo ops.
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Great photos of Sam!

Thanks for posting, Fin.

Perhaps someday we can erect a lifelike statue of Sam at the pier house as a welcome greeting for those who enter. :bow:

Sam looks different, and skinnier. I saw him Saturday in the storm. Thought the same thing then.

This 'latest version' has the almost fully mature plumage

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I wonder how old Sam is in bird years?
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[quote author=FinChaser link=topic=1332.msg12874#msg12874 date=1339558814]
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I wonder how old Sam is in bird years?
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I searched, and could not find a chart, so decided we can make ourselves one with a little math.

For Pelicans, their average life expectancy is 25 years.

That would place the Pelican at about 3.3 years for every human year on average; but creatures have a progression chart, so just multiplying 3.3 per Sam's years of life would be misleading in the early stages.

We should come up with a good guesstimate with these figures in mind.

Here's a quick approximate (SWAG style):

Most animals in this age group mature 5 times faster during their first year of life than humans, so we can reasonably say she'd be 16 by the end of the first year. Growth is usually double a humans in the second year, so we'll add another 7 years. After that, we can estimate about 3 Pelican years per human year to obtain our 3.3-3.5 per year lifetime average. Also, most progression charts taper off some more after the life expectancy is met. We could venture to say she'd age about 2 years per human year after reaching the 25th human year. The oldest Pelican I could find on record was 43 years old!

1 Human Year = Approximately 16 Pelican Years
2 Human Years = 23 Pelican Years
3 Human Years = 26 Pelican Years
4 Human Years = 29 Pelican Years
5 Human Years = 32 Pelican Years
10 Human Years = 47 Pelican Years
25 Human Years = 92 Pelican Years
43 Humans Years (Oldest Recorded) = 128 Potential Pelican Years (that's OLD!)

If someone knows Sam's real human age, then we can use this chart to estimate how old she is in Pelican Years. :headbang: :headbang:

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Holy Crap!!!
I just had to ask didn’t I? :o
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[quote author=FinChaser link=topic=1332.msg12886#msg12886 date=1339591286]
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Holy Crap!!!
I just had to ask didn’t I? :o
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Hah, its no problem brother Fin. When you're up at 1am unable to sleep because of certain events, and have nothing better to do, it is fun to be a little creative. :headbang:

[quote author=Viking Guy link=topic=1332.msg12848#msg12848 date=1339547965]
Great photos of Sam!

Thanks for posting, Fin.

Perhaps someday we can erect a lifelike statue of Sam at the pier house as a welcome greeting for those who enter. :bow:
[/quote]YEAH ! I like that idea !

[quote author=FinChaser link=topic=1332.msg12886#msg12886 date=1339591286]
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Holy Crap!!!
I just had to ask didn’t I? :o
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;D
:poke1:

[quote author=divedeep link=topic=1332.msg12942#msg12942 date=1339625895]
[quote author=FinChaser link=topic=1332.msg12886#msg12886 date=1339591286]
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Holy Crap!!!
I just had to ask didn’t I? :o
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[/quote]

;D
:poke1:
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;D All that and still not an answer to how old Sam actually is. :poke1:

nice snow dog :bow:

I think I heard she's around 2. or is that 6.75846? :spank:

[quote author=tofer link=topic=1332.msg12948#msg12948 date=1339631858]
[quote author=divedeep link=topic=1332.msg12942#msg12942 date=1339625895]
[quote author=FinChaser link=topic=1332.msg12886#msg12886 date=1339591286]
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Holy Crap!!!
I just had to ask didn’t I? :o
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[/quote]

;D
:poke1:
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;D All that and still not an answer to how old Sam actually is. :poke1:
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Well actually, everyone thinks she is 2-3 years old. We can estimate that she is approximately 25 years old in pelican years. I just don't know her birthdate. Perhaps someone else does so we can be more precise.

I should of asked him while we were bonding in the storm Saturday.

Simply logic tells us that the Pelican is more than two years old, seeing as their are pics of it from 2010 and it is not a baby. So, it has to be 3+ years old, and that is my final age range due to my scientific study of dates on Fin's pictures.

[quote author=Bubba link=topic=1332.msg12982#msg12982 date=1339680334]
I should of asked him while we were bonding in the storm Saturday.

Simply logic tells us that the Pelican is more than two years old, seeing as their are pics of it from 2010 and it is not a baby. So, it has to be 3+ years old, and that is my final age range due to my scientific study of dates on Fin's pictures.
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[size=12pt]I sure wish someone had gotten a pic of you and Sam standing in the rain nose to nose! Or would that be nose to bill?[/size]

Well, in that case, she might be 30 in pelican years.

I agree with Fin. Bubba, get a sunrise/sunset shot face to face like that one Fin has. Those make for some wonderful photos.

http://www.reportband.gov/RECFORM.CFM

Slim reported the dead one I found on the octi back in the winter and got a certificate of appreciation. Maybe it had info on the bird.???

^^^^ Good find. It says they will tell you the age at the time of banding. We should report Sam's number.

???
You mean the 'gubment' knows how old we are by the color band we wear?

Next birthday, I will be 147.3569 in pelican years.
That makes me older than "Sam's" great-great-great-great grandfather, who coinicidentally was also named "Sam" ::) ;) :D

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Chuck caught Sam one day to get the number on the band and after that, he got snapped at every time he got even close to Sam.
I’m not getting’ the band number!
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pictures - she'll let you get close enough to snap a couple from different angles to get it

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It’s worth a shot.
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[quote author=FinChaser link=topic=1332.msg13001#msg13001 date=1339685302]
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Chuck caught Sam one day to get the number on the band and after that, he got snapped at every time he got even close to Sam.
I’m not getting’ the band number!
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I could catch it in a heartbeat, but won't. I'm not afraid of what of being snapped at by Sam. I'm afraid of being snapped by the man. I make it a habit not to grab wild animals the presence of others without authorization or a present need to for the safety of the animal.

Arent the mysteries sometimes more fun than the facts?

[quote author=Bubba link=topic=1332.msg13014#msg13014 date=1339687969]
Arent the mysteries sometimes more fun than the facts?
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I have heard it isn't polite to ask a lady her age.

Well, unless of course you suspect she's under 21. :D

[quote author=Bubba link=topic=1332.msg13014#msg13014 date=1339687969]
Arent the mysteries sometimes more fun than the facts?
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Right on bro, the facts tend to be a buzz killer!

Ol SAM is a trip!HOW territorial is he really. I BET HE JUST DARES ANOTHER PELICAN TO TRY TO MOVE IN !!

How old is Sam?
Well, given that Pelicans start to breed at age 3-5 years old, and he has started to get his adult plumage, I would say he is right at 3 years old.

Most likely, after this summer, he will find a lady (or if "he" is really a "she", a man), start a family over on Gaillard Island or some other pelican breeding colony island and we won't see him hanging around much in the summer.

[quote author=AUBama boy link=topic=1332.msg13050#msg13050 date=1339762537]
Ol SAM is a trip! HOW territorial is he really. I BET HE JUST DARES ANOTHER PELICAN TO TRY TO MOVE IN !!
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Sam is very territorial, the dude on the right tried to get in on Sam’s photo shoot with some visitors a while back. Sam don’t play well with others, well other birds anyway!
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