Pelicans At Work
Yesterday we went over by the salt marsh during low tide and found a group of brown pelicans fishing all together in one small area. There were 6-7 juveniles and one adult with the youngsters doing most of the work it seemed. The adult wasn’t pleased and was constantly trying to boss the kid around which included chasing and biting tail feathers. As you can see, it didn’t stop anyone from scooping up the seafood delicacies and having a good time as well. I’m sure this continued on for a good while after we left, so another long day at the office!




I love that second “bottoms up” shot. They’re such fun birds to watch; I’m glad I get to see them on a regular basis.
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Yes that shot is kind of funny. Do you see the white pelicans as well? I was talking some time ago to a guy I think somewhere in Canada and he said he only sees the white ones and has never seen a brown pelican.
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The brown ones are here year-round, with increased numbers from migration during part of the year. The white ones are only here in winter. Watching them wheel in, high in the sky, can be a marvelous sight. Unlike the osprey or sandhill cranes, they’re utterly silent, which makes sky-watching more important in late fall.
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Sounds a lot like here, we generally get the white pelicans in Dec.or thereabouts. But in recent years they’ve been staying around later.
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A great sequence of photos, Phil. It never fails to impress just how these big, heavy birds manoeuvre themselves so well.
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Glad you liked these Maggie. They are surprisingly large for sure. Plus I’ve read that their fishing technique of diving head first, especially at height is not good for their heads and eyes.
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PS Kevin would not have been impressed with Liverpool this year!
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Awww I was thinking of Kevin when wrote that.
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