Category Archives: Pelican

Birds, Marsh, Pelican, Swamp, What I Saw, Wildlife

Pushing Food, Pelicans

December 9, 2019 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 4 Comments

This is a good example of how a group of birds drive fish ahead, in this case into the banks of a rice field.

These Pelican swim forward grabbing the fish as they move.

The fish keep ahead of the birds until they run out of water or against a shore.

A friend was photographing large flocks of Egrets using the same technique. They were so efficient the fish jumped out of the water onto the banks all around where she was hiding in the reeds. Large flocks become an eating machine.

Click any image for a full view.

Pushing Food, Pelicans

These flocks will move on when the fish are gone. The fish return with the tides and water flows between the marshes.

Alligator, Birds, Heron, Landscape, Marsh, Pelican, Swamp, This and That, What I Saw, Wildlife

A Sample Of The Marshes We Shoot

December 8, 2019 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

Few people get to see a scene like this, I’m out there and I don’t always get this. Best viewed full screen to see the details.

The photograph was taken facing one of the dikes out in an old rice field. The steep bank isa side of this old dike and you can walk this for a long way.

A Great Blue Heron is on the dike, another below to the right in the water.

This is fall so the reeds are down and the color more brown than anything. On the bank below the dike is a large Alligator sleeping.

And of course easily seen are the White Pelicans swimming by.

The immediate surrounding wildlife areas are over 350,000 acres. That is like a small country.

However, just today I read the other connecting public/private wildlife lands now are approximately 1,000,000 acres. Yep, one million.

Birds, Marsh, Pelican, Shore Bird, Swamp, Wildlife

I Love A Parade

December 6, 2019 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 5 Comments

All moving together at a steady pace. White Pelicans.

ACE Basin, South Carolina.

Birds, Marsh, Pelican, Shore Bird, Swamp, What I Saw, Wildlife

Thank You Mr. Pelican For The Opportunity

December 4, 2019 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 9 Comments

These are the photographs you rarely get the opportunity to shoot. Never mind actually getting them, it’s the chance you don’t ever get. That’s why I chose the title I did.

Thank You Mr. Pelican For The Opportunity

This White Pelican did a glide past me and gently eased into landing.

By this time I had been shooting them for about an hour and was at the point I was missing the good shots, big gear does get heavy.

About five years ago I had this opportunity in a Florida salt marsh. I caught maybe two good images. Good thing I didn’t remember that when I was shooting LOL.

When the big feet touched the water I was hoping my aim was good because I wanted the ‘water ski’ landing.

There were a few more good images but this article already has more than usual.

To end… I was a happy camper LOL.

Birds, Marsh, Pelican, Shore Bird, Swamp, What I Saw, Wildlife

Gathering Together To Feed, White Pelican

December 3, 2019 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 2 Comments

Pity the poor fish when this group gets together.

Gathering Together To Feed, White Pelican

White Pelican feed by driving fish ahead, pushing then into a place they can be caught more easily.

Swimming in a line the big bills are filled with water, and fish, as they move ahead.

Many water birds use a similar technique, even flocks of Egrets. These big birds are pretty effective at it.

Birds, Marsh, Pelican, Shore Bird, Swamp, This and That, What I Saw, Wildlife

Big Guy’s Coming To A Marsh, Pelican

December 2, 2019 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 6 Comments

I try to restrict the number of over head Pelican fly by’s I shoot.

There are rarely as good as I think, and how many flying big belly photographs do we need!

Big Guy's Coming To A Marsh, Pelican — Big Guy’s Coming To A Marsh, Pelican

These are big birds. Body weight can range between 7.7 and 30 lb (3.5 and 13.6 kg), although typically these birds average between 11 and 20 lb (5.0 and 9.1 kg).

The Lowcountry is considered an ‘uncommon’ migration stop. Once again the animals know better than humans. November/December they feed in these far marshes all the time, though in smaller flocks of 20 to 50 birds.