If you are lucky, you will spot a group of pelicans in St. James’s Park. They are free to wander so you can never be sure where to find them. They may be swimming in the lake, standing somewhere on its banks, on the surrounding paths, or even walking in nearby streets. They are very sociable and occasionally join visitors seated on a park bench. Pelicans are not native to Britain. The first to arrive in St. James’s Park were presented to Charles II in 1664 by the Russian ambassador and their successors have been here ever since.