Just a little thing I’m having a hard time interpreting.
This is the breeding adult American White Pelican I photographed at a local pond a couple of days ago, the one I mentioned yesterday that unexpectedly landed right in front of me with a loud splash. This was the only time I’ve ever seen a pelican on this very small pond that I’ve visited several times nearly every week for about a decade..
The pond is so very shallow ‘he’ couldn’t dip his bill straight down into the water while he was fishing like they usually do so his fishing technique had to be modified. As he was swimming forward he would tilt his head and lay the side of his face and bill on the surface of the water before lowering his head and bill into the water just a few inches. That way the tip of his very long bill wasn’t digging into the muddy bottom while he was fishing.
I wish I’d taken a photo of him with his head tipped sideways and laying flat on the surface just before he lowered it into the water but I never got a good shooting angle on it so I didn’t. Hindsight…
That’s how he fished the entire time I was with him, except for his very first attempt at fishing right after he landed on the water and chased away all the nearby Mallards.
This was that first attempt, the only time he dipped his bill straight down into the water. As you can see something happened during that first attempt that caused an obvious startle reaction – the pelican had a significant physical reaction to something that caused his bill to snap open to an extreme angle and his entire body to jerk.
He may have only been reacting to a fish that his bill encountered but I’ve watched thousands of pelicans fishing and I’ve never seen a reaction quite like this one. And when he lifted his bill out of the water it was obvious that he hadn’t captured anything to eat (which by itself isn’t evidence of anything).
So I have to wonder about another possibility. Maybe as he was swimming forward with his bill lowered far into the water his bill unexpectedly struck the muddy bottom, or perhaps more likely a rock, and that’s what caused his very obvious reaction. I strongly suspect that the pelican had never been on this pond before so he almost certainly didn’t know what to expect down there.
Whatever caused his reaction I’d definitely say that he was surprised by something.
At this point you may be thinking, so what? So a bird was surprised, big deal. Birds are surprised all the time. But when I see unexplained things like this in the field I get really, really curious. Experience has taught me to pay attention to the ‘little things’ because doing so can pay dividends in the future for someone who’s as interested in bird behaviors and unique photos as I am.
Maybe you had to be there…
Ron
It did look like an Ouch moment. It seems unusual to see a lone pelican. When they visited us they were like a squadron and landed in precision. Also formed a line and closed in on all the fish they were herding. Your pelican seemed to lank like an airliner on a football field.
Ken, in my experience it is a little unusual to see a lone pelican but I wouldn’t call it rare.
“An airliner on a football field” is a pretty apt description of what this huge bird looked like on that small pond.
I was ruminating on wildlife photography this morning. . . we look as beginners to just make sharp photos, then we start to try to make sharp photos of typical behavior, eating, mating, fighting, etc. Then we work on catching the oddity we have never seen before, or maybe no one has EVER seen. Ron, you are REALLY at the last two categories. That’s mastery.
Wayne, I thought enough about what you said to read it twice. Carefully. I don’t know if I’m at mastery, probably not, but the path you describe was my path – that’s for sure. Thank you.
That poor pelican. Definitely unexpected – and unwelcome.
Got his attention, that’s for sure. It got mine too.
As nature journaling guru Jack Laws often says: “The more you look, the more you see.” Being caught up in “little details” becomes–after a long time of looking at the natural world–what it is all about. I seem to do it all the time now. Not old. Just very experienced… 😉
I agree with Jack’s observation.
The poor guy, it hurts to look at that, the apparent shock on his face as he encounters something totally unexpected and possibly quite painful. Even his head feathers (crest?) stood bolt upright. But a beautiful bird even with his most embarrassing moment caught on camera. At least he was able to recover his dignity.
Chris, given how sensitive their bills are to touch I’ll bet it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
It was a big ol crawdad using its big ol claw. That is about how I look when one of those hook onto me.
🙂
Your explanation that it struck something is what makes the most sense to me. I’ve never seen a pelican (White or Brown) with its beak that far open. It’s counter to their feeding technique. Normally, the mouth is opened just enough to allow water (all 3 gallons of it) to rush in, fill the pouch and suck in any small fish pulled in by the rush of water. Then they raise the bill and let the water drain out, leaving the fish trapped by the pouch to then be swallowed. (Never carried in the pouch as many people mistakenly think.) A beak this far open doesn’t allow for this to happen properly. I’m also wondering about something else. If this is a small pond, surrounded by trees, It must have been a struggle to leave and get into the air again. Was there plenty of room for that or did you see it leave?
Dan, I didn’t hang around until he took off. The pond is largely surrounded by trees, many of them tall, but the pond is sort of oblong so they have a bit more room taking off either to the north or to the south. Geese, which are on the pond fairly often, usually take off in one of those directions. That said I’m sure it would have been a challenge for him, no matter what direction he took off.
Ouch, I stubbed my beak.
🙂
Perhaps it didn’t know how shallow it was? Kinda like that first date of “Oh hello…nope nope nope.”
Perhaps. Even likely, at least at that particular spot.
I don’t think any of us are thinking ‘so what?’. Bird behavior is fascinating and I learn something with every post (I wonder why my jaw kinda hurts right now?). I’ve never had a close-up look at any type of pelican — that is one huge beak. I am struck by his blue eyes against the orange-ish and the white. Clear images!
Yes, it’s huge. It’s said that their pouch can hold 3 gallons of water. Think of 3 gallons of milk.
That’s the way the feed around here. I have many images that show them doing so. They’re filter feeders.
As I described, what I saw and documented appeared to be quite different from what I’ve seen in the past.
So– are the horizontal lines on the rocks bordering the pond former
water-level lines ? If so, they certainly speak of the current shallowness
of the basin. Looks like Lake Powell’s “bathtub ring”. Poor pelican– no
wonder he’s challenged with that huge bill…..
Kris, I’m pretty sure those lines aren’t the high water line. They aren’t level with each other and in ten years I’ve never seen the water anywhere near that high. That said I’m not positive.
I’m with Marty K. I’ve seen them with big but controlled extensions, although I don’t know why they put their heads back and do this with the upper bill. But to have it suddenly and untintentionally thrust very wide open, perhaps painfully wide open, would be a shock.
Yup, he was one very surprised bird.
Was the water murky enough that he would not have been able to see the bottom?
Yes. Usually the water in this pond is so murky I can’t see its bottom, even on my side of the shore. At times it’s clearer but it isn’t now.
I too agree with the rock theory. I can imagine the shock he must have felt to be jolted in ‘mid-scoop’. This could be a good reason why pelicans do not frequent this particular shallow pond. He may leave for better fishing elsewhere after this experience. 😦
Kathy, another reason they don’t frequent this pond is that it’s small and surrounded by trees so those big heavy birds have to come in at steep angles to land on it. Makes for quite an impact. And splash.
My guess would be a rock – something they definitely would rarely bump into in most lakes where they fish. But whatever, very interesting. Another post of yours that is much more interesting and thought provoking than just outstanding bird and nature photos.
Thank you, Everett. My guess is a rock too, especially with all the big rocks lining the shore only a couple of feet from him.
Whatever he encountered, I wonder if if his mandible may have gotten stuck and his forward momentum caused that big extension of his jaw. He definitely looks unnerved, poor fella. At least he benefited from “one trial learning.” Smart pelican. 🙂
Looks like your lens (and its operator) did a great job — he’s really sharp and there’s so much detail in all those white feathers.
I thought the same thing, Marty – he’s a fast learner.
Appears it encountered “something” unexpected either scraping it’s bill on a rock (or a fish between it’s legs 😉 ) Considering how wide open it’s bill it seems like he came to a dead stop over whatever it was plus the fact it was turning it’s head sideways to fish after that. Hmmmmm!
“Appears it encountered “something” unexpected”
I think so too, Judy.
One naturally thinks that water birds are supremely attuned to their environment. They apparently have their klutzy moments. In any case, the eye and face color are remarkable.
“Klutzy moment” indeed. Wish I’d thought of that.
Ouch! I can feel his pain! like when I hit my leg shin on the bed corner post in the dark last night coming back from the bthrm, it still hurts!
Yes, I know the feeling.