Dead Pelican in Tar Seeps.

Gunnison Island has been the traditional breeding grounds for pelicans on the Great Salt Lake. The record low level of the lake in 2022 allowed for land bridges to form giving predators access to Gunnison Island. The pelicans abandoned their traditional breeding grounds and moved their breeding to Hat Island. With the 2 ft lake level rise after high snowfall years, the pelicans now are using both islands for breeding.
On the east side of the Great Salt Lake near Spiral Jetty, there are tar seeps. Young pelicans think the tar seeps are water and land, get stuck in the tar seeps and die. Each one has a tag, these are put on by students from Westminster as part of a program to study the Great Salt Lake and the pelicans and the tar seeps.