Tag: pelecanus erythrorhyncos
American White Pelican In Flight – A Series, Including An Extreme Closeup
Sometimes I get more personal satisfaction out of anticipating and guessing right than I do out of getting the shot(s). (6 photos)
American White Pelican Spotlighted Against A Dark Background
Pelican Surprise
American White Pelican – A Question Of Behavior
I’ve been perplexed and curious about something I watched this pelican do for over six years now. But the purpose I tentatively propose for the behavior I documented in these photos seems more than a little far fetched so I’ve never brought it up. Until now.
Trouble Looms For Utah’s American White Pelicans
American White Pelican On Landing Approach
I sometimes liken American White Pelicans to B–52 Stratofortresses – they often fly at great heights and they’re not very agile in flight but man are they ever impressive during landings.
American White Pelican Takeoff
American White Pelicans are a species I should train my lens on more often. While they’re sitting on the water they often don’t make a very interesting subject but getting that huge 16 lb. body airborne is a real struggle so photos of them taking off have much more interest for many of us.
American White Pelican – A Takeoff Twice Aborted
White Pelican With Perfect Aim And Timing
A Pelican Landing Among Friends (and yesterday’s debacle in Box Elder County)
I rarely appreciate “accidental” birds in my photos competing with the primary subject. But there are exceptions and it happened twice with this landing American White Pelican.
Landing Pelican
The webbed feet of American White Pelicans function like skis when landing on water.
Pelicans And A Fish Too Big To Swallow – Part 2
This is a continuation of the events from yesterdays post where an American White Pelican had repeatedly tried to swallow a very large, headless carp but due to the size of the fish and persistent pressure from other pelicans the effort (and the fish) had been abandoned.
Pelicans And A Fish Too Big To Swallow – Part 1
White Pelican Stretching Pouch in Flight.
American White Pelicans are known to do some pretty strange things with their pouch – one of them is pouch stretching (I’ve been unable to find an official term for the behavior). A four year old image – I no longer have the original file so can’t access exif data They pull their head back and force their very flexible pouch down over their neck and upper chest in a process that looks, well.. bizarre. I don’t think this behavior is particularly unusual as I’ve seen and photographed it several times. According to Birds of North America Online the function of this display is “uncertain”. Canon 7D, 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500 However, these birds are also fully capable of pulling the bottom of their pouch up above the level of the lower mandibles without having to pull the pouch down over their neck. I don’t fully understand how they’re able to do this since the pouch itself is non-muscular. Internet research on the subject has been unproductive. I assume there must be some form of bony or cartilaginous rod that extends from the throat area down the middle of the bottom of the pouch about half way to the tip of the bill. With muscular control of the base of that extension in the throat area they would be able to raise the bottom of the pouch above “horizontal”. I’ve seen them do it twice – the first time without a camera while the bird was perched. But the second time, a couple of weeks ago, it was done in flight which…
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American White Pelican In Flight – A Series, Including An Extreme Closeup
Sometimes I get more personal satisfaction out of anticipating and guessing right than I do out of getting the shot(s). (6 photos)
American White Pelican Spotlighted Against A Dark Background
Pelican Surprise
American White Pelican – A Question Of Behavior
I’ve been perplexed and curious about something I watched this pelican do for over six years now. But the purpose I tentatively propose for the behavior I documented in these photos seems more than a little far fetched so I’ve never brought it up. Until now.
Trouble Looms For Utah’s American White Pelicans
American White Pelican On Landing Approach
I sometimes liken American White Pelicans to B–52 Stratofortresses – they often fly at great heights and they’re not very agile in flight but man are they ever impressive during landings.
American White Pelican Takeoff
American White Pelicans are a species I should train my lens on more often. While they’re sitting on the water they often don’t make a very interesting subject but getting that huge 16 lb. body airborne is a real struggle so photos of them taking off have much more interest for many of us.
American White Pelican – A Takeoff Twice Aborted
White Pelican With Perfect Aim And Timing
A Pelican Landing Among Friends (and yesterday’s debacle in Box Elder County)
I rarely appreciate “accidental” birds in my photos competing with the primary subject. But there are exceptions and it happened twice with this landing American White Pelican.
Landing Pelican
The webbed feet of American White Pelicans function like skis when landing on water.
Pelicans And A Fish Too Big To Swallow – Part 2
This is a continuation of the events from yesterdays post where an American White Pelican had repeatedly tried to swallow a very large, headless carp but due to the size of the fish and persistent pressure from other pelicans the effort (and the fish) had been abandoned.
Pelicans And A Fish Too Big To Swallow – Part 1
White Pelican Stretching Pouch in Flight.
American White Pelicans are known to do some pretty strange things with their pouch – one of them is pouch stretching (I’ve been unable to find an official term for the behavior). A four year old image – I no longer have the original file so can’t access exif data They pull their head back and force their very flexible pouch down over their neck and upper chest in a process that looks, well.. bizarre. I don’t think this behavior is particularly unusual as I’ve seen and photographed it several times. According to Birds of North America Online the function of this display is “uncertain”. Canon 7D, 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500 However, these birds are also fully capable of pulling the bottom of their pouch up above the level of the lower mandibles without having to pull the pouch down over their neck. I don’t fully understand how they’re able to do this since the pouch itself is non-muscular. Internet research on the subject has been unproductive. I assume there must be some form of bony or cartilaginous rod that extends from the throat area down the middle of the bottom of the pouch about half way to the tip of the bill. With muscular control of the base of that extension in the throat area they would be able to raise the bottom of the pouch above “horizontal”. I’ve seen them do it twice – the first time without a camera while the bird was perched. But the second time, a couple of weeks ago, it was done in flight which…