Since it’s summer weather here, and these Pelican are just hanging around, we have ‘young’ year rounders.
I haven’t seen any with the breeding bump on their beak so an assumption is these are not yet breeding age.
If you don’t feel ‘the need to breed’ why make that long trip?
Maybe it’s like hanging out at the beach in the sun for a year.
White Pelicans feed by scooping up anything nearby, water, mud, and ‘stuff’. They prefer fish, but I don’t think they are all that picky.
Problem is… figuring out what to keep.
I think they just ‘swish’ it around a bit to find out.
White Pelicans on the edge of a marsh.
This morning I had to search and read up on the habitat range of the White Pelican. They winter here. As I type this on my back porch the thermometer reads 112 (f) degrees. Yes, it’s in the sun, fine knock off a few points and it’s still hot!
This photograph was shot two days ago, three adults. While not breeding age, adults nonetheless.
I had been told by the WMA rangers White Pelicans were staying year round in the far marshes. Technically these three, and friends, should at least be in Idaho. More northern transplants, it’s not just New Yorkers.
There are other small flocks seen now. My theory in the lowered water levels pushed them out to the edges of the WMA, like where I shot these.
Still, this shows there is another species moving into the ACE Basin full time.
I’m good with that LOL.
Catching a big feeding is all about timing. Or luck.
Timing comes into play when you are familiar with the tides, times, close locations to stand.
Luck is when your partner remembers it.
Brown Pelicans following the fish.
A few random shots taken while catching Pelican fishing. Besides being constant action if the tide and schools of fish cooperate is the ‘others’ who are working the water also.
Below a Dolphin is also hunting on the left side of the image, a Laughing Gull hovering on the right.
Brown Pelican dive head first, always at the same angle to minimize the pressure when they hit the water.
Below, if you look carefully, you will see a Cormorant floating in the background.
No matter how much you practice most of the photographs taken are a miss. Shooting this is frustrating, and great fun.
Any time we spot even a single Brown Pelican going into a dive it’s an immediate search for a place to catch the action.
They are only one of two Pelicans in the world that dive from above to catch fish. How high they may be doesn’t matter. See fish…dive.
It also doesn’t matter if there is a Cormorant, or Dolphin already there.
A slight twist of the neck before impact protects them from getting hurt.
Head first is the path, right on top of the fish. Sometimes several hit the water at the same time. Which of course is even better for me.
Oh yeah, it’s a very loud splash.
This just might be a new favorite.
The tide was moving, fish were schooling, and all the locals were looking for the last meal of the day.
Two Gulls and a Brown Pelican were gliding and hovering above the water. They could not have gotten any closer to each other without a crash.
The bird who managed a catch would be fighting the other two to keep it.
Coastal Florida.
I love Pelicans, always have since I was little. Given a chance to photograph one paddling over nearby was not going to be missed.
Next he surprised me. He came over to dig down into the bottom. You can see some type of old barnacle covered structure next to us.
Above he raised his head… and had a ‘mouthful’ of stuff. Barnacles, oysters, who knows.
Whatever he grabbed was filling up that pouch.
He worked it, then it was gone. Watched me the whole time too.
Always fun doing this 😁.
