Pelican

A Perris man is scheduled to appear in court Friday on charges he attacked a pelican on the Newport Pier last week when it tried to steal his catch. Daniel Richard Moreno, 19, will be in court Friday for a pre-trial hearing after pleading not guilty last week to misdemeanor animal cruelty. Police said that about 3:30 p.m. March 14, Moreno was fishing on the pier and set one of the fish he caught on the ground next to him. That’s when a pelican standing on a nearby building’s roof swooped down and tried to grab Moreno’s fish, authorities said.

The L-shaped bundle was giving Kelly Beavers trouble as she maneuvered it carefully toward a plastic crate in the lab at the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. A pair of webbed feet began kicking under the white sheet that she cradled in her arms. A long beak, which Beavers gripped tightly with one hand, thrashed about as well. Looking around the crates, which had been manufactured for dogs but were housing pelicans Tuesday afternoon, she opted for one that was small enough to hold a single, hot-tempered bird.

A mystery illness that has grounded dozens of birds, killing some of them, has possibly spread to Newport Beach’s shores, experts said Friday. Starting in the afternoon, Huntington Beach’s Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Director Debbie McGuire said her office began receiving calls from Newport Beach Animal Control that “scores” of birds had been found dead or dying along the coast. Huntington Beach has been dealing with the problem, which had been affecting mostly pelicans, since earlier in the week.

The last of 1.1 million hand-cut glass tiles have been laid in the circular pool and the final olive tree planted at the 504-acre Resort at Pelican Hill. The only thing missing now is the guests. Pelican Hill is slated to open its doors today after more than three years of construction and preparation in a less-than-hospitable economic climate. Managing Director Giuseppe Lama knows there will be challenges ahead this holiday season, but he’s counting on the resort’s attention to detail and his staff to make Pelican Hill one of the country’s top destination resorts.

If anyone on this planet doesn’t know the power Tiger Woods has over an audience it was displayed loudly Saturday at Pelican Hill. Woods was addressing the 200 or so people as part of the Block Party festivities that raises an approximate $1 million annually for the Tiger Woods Learning Center. The people that were there were about to play golf and had paid a nice chunk of change for the privilege. The guest of honor arrived in khaki shorts and a windbreaker and headed to the practice facility, bringing Fred Couples and Chris Riley with him. Though Woods can’t hit a ball because of his left knee, he can swing a club and he certainly can tell a story.

An endangered brown pelican that nearly died from wing injuries that killed 10 others of its species took to the air Wednesday in Corona Del Mar after two weeks of rehabilitation. At Big Corona State Beach, those who cared for the bird set her free. Apparently eager to get back into the swing of things, the bird leaped into the air and didn’t turn back. That’s not unexpected considering her behavior in rehab, said Debbie McGuire, wildlife director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, which nursed the pelican back to health.

The Resort at Pelican Hill has joined an alliance of hotels and high-end restaurants. There are now 12 hotels and resorts in the OCeanfront alliance since the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel and the Resort at Pelican Hill were added to the list. The OCeanfront includes businesses working to promote Orange County’s beach destinations. Its website directs tourists to the best places to eat, the prime beaches to visit and the most luxurious places to stay. The Resort at Pelican Hill will open in December.

The Trojan Football Alumni Club will have its 40th annual golf classic May 9 at Pelican Hill Golf Course. Paul Salata, founder of Irrelevant Week, as well as other former Trojans: Anthony Davis, Paul McDonald, Brad Budde Rodney Peete, Matt Willig, Derrick Deese, Johnnie Morton, Curtis Conway and USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett are scheduled to appear. There will also be a post golf party at the Palm Garden Ballroom, part of the Island Hotel. The alumni club will have a silent auction.