White Pelicans? Maybe???

ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
edited April 8, 2006 in Wildlife
I have never seen a white pelican. I can't ID these as anything but. I have never worked up a white pelican before. They were flying in a large group at a distance while I was waiting for the Osprey. (they may have been passing through, I think a few of our uninhabited islands have some). (They are not blown, I checked and rechecked)

OK, what is wrong with these? What is right with them. They are a bit soft or lacking in pixels though my lens (400mm w extender) had a good lock. I think it was the distance, but I don't know.

I am trying to only show the better ones, they never did get terribly close. I thought they were Ibis or something, they were flying together like Ibis.

No speedos, no mention of speedos, please.

ginger

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Coming and going.......

g
After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.

Comments

  • DeeDee Registered Users Posts: 2,981 Major grins
    edited April 7, 2006
    Yep, White Pelicans
    Yep, those are white pelicans! Their wing edges are black. Here's some I took for comparison.

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  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited April 7, 2006
    Thanks, Dee! Yup, they were white pelicans. Yours are very nice, yours even come with mtns, smile!

    Strange, I have never seen them before. I always wanted to, but I wanted them to be on the ground, smile again! Expected them to be on the ground, not flying in formation like geese!

    And they were by that bridge that I can't climb anymore, so they were coming from that marsh area. For all I know, they were going back there, too.

    think I will go look to see if the regatta is still on. this is not a good day.

    thanks for taking the time to look and respond,

    ginger (The Blue Angels are in town with a big air show tomorrow, maybe the pelicans were preparing?):D
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • DeeDee Registered Users Posts: 2,981 Major grins
    edited April 8, 2006
    White pelican tidbit
    They fish from the water (from what I've read) and in shallow water a whole group of them cooperate and herd the fish as they form a sort of circle around the herded fish and then chow down!

    I'm not sure if they dive for fish the way the brown pelicans do or not. When we worked in Fremont and crossed the San Mateo Bridge they used to feed in one of the old salt water evaporation pond area. I wondered why they were always on the water and in a group... so that's what I remember reading...

    Hopefully some more white pelican shooters will add their observations here.
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