Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday - Invasion of the Pelican's

Welcome. -  I'm sitting at the computer the other night when the phone rings.  I answer it and my niece is on the other end asking me if I remembered last year when she told me about the Pelicans showing up near her house and if I still wanted to take pictures of them because they were back again.

I couldn't pass that up so off I went with Coleen and my mom to see the Pelicans. 

So for Wild Bird Wednesday I bring you the invasion of the Pelicans.  I keep wanting to call them Penguins for some weird reason.

Here's my first view of them:  Click to enlarge photos.


There were about 40-50 of these Pelican's all spread out across one of the spillways in Mill Creek.  My niece's property is very near the creek so they get to see all kinds of birds there.

Here you can see them all lined up and a bicyclist riding on the trail on the other side of the creek.


 Same grouping, no cyclist in the shot.

Getting closer

Here the Pelicans have noticed me and started swimming back up stream.

I love this shot.  I just find their beaks so fascinating to look at.





A lone one off from the rest of the Pelicans (but not for long) and you will notice a black bird flying past the pelican although it's blurred.



 
 
 
Here they appear to be trying to decide if they want to swim down the spillway or just stay where they are.

They caught a lot of people's attention for sure.  Here a woman watches from the other side.


Coleen got in on the act taking pictures of them so I snapped a shot of her.



Pelicans weren't the only birds there that day.

I caught a "glimpse" of a head in the reeds just about the area where the Pelicans were and then it emerged ever so briefly from the reeds.

 


 
A Heron was also present and some other birds flying around that I have no clue as to what they were.
 
Just before we left I snapped this shot of some ducks swimming further down from the Pelicans.
 
 
 
All in all it was quite a thrill to see that many Pelicans in one spot.  My niece says they show up every year and hang around for about 2 months and then they disappear until the following year.
 
I hope you've enjoyed seeing them as much as I did.


38 comments:

  1. Hi what a wonderful sight. I am glad you niece told you about the Pelicans arriving and all these shots are fantastic great post.

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  2. Wow an impressive sight, and they've found a perfect water spot-I wonder where did they come from and where are they going? Such a nice area to live close too.

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  3. Amazing photos! They look so funny all sitting in such a precarious position. Their yellow beaks are so vibrant and so very different from the ones we have in Australia. Great collection of photos and info.

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  4. how awesome! i'm jealous. they've flown over here. one year a small flock was circling to settle on our pond and thelma and louise threw a hissy-fit and scared them off! SO close...

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  5. Nice photos! I love the shots of them all lined up in a row.

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  6. oh ida...i would have wet my pants!!

    awesome images and what an exciting experience!!!

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  7. How unusual about the pelicans! You got some awesome shots.

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  8. Looks like a good place to go enjoying the countryside and bird watching Ida. All those White Pelicans line up makes a for real nice scene.

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  9. How awesome to see so many pelicans. They're very interesting birds.

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  10. These shots are amazing and I bet it was thrilling to witness it!! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Wow, you weren't kidding! How cool! Nice shots of these guys!

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  12. Oh my goodness, I certainly did enjoy this post. What a fantastic experience! I don't think I've ever seen a real pelican. And you got to see a whole congregation! Wonderful.

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  13. That looks like a good place for birding. It's so neat to see so many pelicans. They are such cool birds.

    A wonderful bird is a pelican,
    His bill will hold more than his belican.
    He can take in his beak
    Food enough for a week;
    But I'm damned if I see how the helican.
    "The Pelican" (1910) by Dixon Lanier Merritt

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  14. They look like they are going to slide right over the spillway! :-) Great shots of this wonderful grouping!

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  15. Hello Ida, how cool to see the large group of Pelicans. They are one of my favorite birds. Awesome photos, thanks for sharing. Have a happy day!

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  16. oh great to see all the pelicans like that; wonder did they get to pick up any fishes later? Seems there must be some attraction around there for them with also the heron and ducks......

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  17. I would have jumped in the car at the mere mention of a scene like this. I've never seen so many pelicans in one place before. Lucky you!

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  18. Wow! Those were awesome pictures. I found that I had to go back to read about them 'cause I just wanted to scroll through to the next shot. Cool capture.

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  19. Had absolutely NO idea you'd ever have that many of this bird in your neck of the woods Ida! I love these guys and we do see occasional one or two in Oregon and even in Colorado, but never ever so many. I m not even sure we've seen that many at once in Louisiaa or Florida, which is where we've seen them most often.

    Great pictures. Thank you and your niece) for sharing.

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  20. Wow ! They are beautiful ! Really great shots !

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  21. Oh my goodness! And I thought I saw a lot of pelicans (ack - I nearly typed penguins!)last week. Wow. What an amazing sight. Love all your photos.

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  22. What a fabulous array of Penguin photos! You did really good!!

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  23. What an exciting sight, so many pelicans lined up in a white line of birds of a feather. Thanks for sharing the fun experience.

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  24. Beautiful. I am sure you were thrilled to see that! Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great weekend.

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  25. Hi there Ida, what an amazing collection of Pelicans. You had a lot of fun capturing them all :D)

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  26. Beautiful photos. Can't say I have seen these many Pelicans ever.

    Thank you for sharing your joy with all of us.

    Peace :)

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  27. Wow! What great shots and so crystal clear! Beautiful birds with lovely coloring. Amazing photo op! When you get a chance, I would love to know what kind of camera you use. You have mad photography skills. I never have my SLR with me when I'm out. Always got the little pocket-sized Elph. Maybe I should rethink that if I want better photos.

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  28. Wow what a lot of Pelicans. Nice series of pictures of them.

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  29. These are wonderful, Ida! I love pelicans, they have such personality! Great shots!

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  30. Nice picture - I love pelicans - ours have more black in the plumage than yours.

    Sorry for the slow reply - very hectic weeks!

    Stewart M

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  31. Hi Ida! These pics made me laugh out loud.
    "You go."
    "No, You go."
    Remember that from childhood?
    How's the wedding coming along?
    :) m

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  32. This seems to be the spot for a bird lover. Great shots, Ida. Also the first time I am seeing white pelicans. The ones I caught on camera are usually beige-ish.

    p.s. did you change your site's layout/color scheme? Looks good!

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  33. Your photo's are beautiful! So wonderful that you were able to see all the pelican's and enjoy them!

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  34. What a photogenic bunch! I love these shots!

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  35. I only saw pelicans in the zoo. You are so lucky to see them in real life. Such an amazing moment in your life! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! Your pictures are awesome!!!

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  36. wow- these are fabulous shots of the pelicans(plus the bonus heron). Pelicans are one of my favorite birds!

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  37. Wow!! So many pelicans, and yes they are different our black & white ones that we see in Australia. Great photos.

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