Inaugural Pelican Fest In Rockton This Saturday

A new outdoor festival is coming to the Stateline area, this one promoting the return of migrating birds to the Rock River. 

From The Rockton Pelican Fest Facebook page:

Join us as we celebrate the annual return of American White Pelican and other migrating birds to the Rock River. The street will be lined with booths from some of the Stateline's hottest wildlife spots...shops and restaurants of Rockton add to the fun with promotions including food specials, sales, make'n takes and giveaways.

Some of the booths that will be set up include:

• The Natural Land Institute/Nygren Wetland Preserve
• Nature at the Confluence
• Sinnissippi Audubon Society
• 815 Outside

Fifteen downtown businesses have signed up to take part in the festival with special giveaways and promotions.

The weather is going to be beautiful this weekend. Downtown Rockton is lovely. This seems like a no-brainer for anyone that wants to get out this weekend.

I would like to take the rest of this blog to educate you on the terrifying nature of pelicans. These guys are MONSTERS. (NOTE: I still support the Pelican Fest, but I'm not going to look at them with rose-colored glasses) They will eat anything that they can fit in their mouth.

We had Andrea on from GoRockford.com this morning to talk about Pelican Fest. I asked her if she was aware of their murderous nature, and she was very not aware.

I'm going to share some YouTube videos. Some of these are more shocking than others. Watch with caution.

Very nonchalantly takes down a whole pigeon.

The duck might have escaped at the end of this one.

Here's one trying to eat a rodent half its size. They might be dumb as well as mean.

I'm putting an extra warning on this one. This is pure uncut nature right here. A squadron (that's what you call a group of pelicans) just waltzing around an island scooping up unattended baby birds. Savage.

So please head out to Rockton to honor these very metal birds.