You can see birds on Pelican Island today that you couldn't see back when it was first established by President Theodore Roosevelt as our Nation's first national wildlife refuge in 1903. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that "Plume hunters, egg collectors and vandals had exterminated all the egrets, herons and spoonbills from the island in the 1800s."

Today the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge attracts more than 130 species of birds, including 30 species of water birds that use the island during their winter migration. Prominent among the species are pelicans. Both Brown Pelicans and White Pelicans - young and old - nest, feed, squawk, dive and mingle with the other birds.

Saturday, March 14, 2009, Pelican Island is celebrating its 106th birthday during the Pelican Island Wildlife Festival. Come out and enjoy this free annual celebration of the birth of Pelican Island and the national wildlife refuge system.

• When: March 14, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: Activities happen at Riverview Park in the city of Sebastian, Florida.
• What: The Pelican Island Wildlife Festival has arts and crafts exhibits, environmental and food vendors, wildlife shows with birds of prey and reptiles and discounted pontoon boat tours of Pelican Island every 45 minutes. More than 30 activities are available.
• Cost: Free admission, free parking, free activities.

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge has public facilities located just west of Highway A1A. The facilities include a 3/4 mile round-trip boardwalk that leads to an 18-foot observation tower, which is a great place to view Pelican Island.

If you prefer to enjoy the refuge on a quieter day, there are a number of commercial tour operators in Sebastian and Vero Beach that provide tours around Pelican Island. Access to the island itself is restricted.

Pelican Island is popular with photographers like Jim Angy, who regularly take advantage of the abundant wildlife on and around the refuge to capture some amazing Florida wildlife photographs. Jim provided the beautiful photographs of  White Pelicans that accompany this blog post. His compelling nature photographs are frequently featured on Marge Bell's informative blog, which covers nature on the Space Coast beaches, islands and refuges.