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.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
Two days ago at Bear River MBR I was mostly just watching a group of pelicans on the water when one of them took off. Often when that happens group mentality sets in and the entire flock immediately follows suit but this time they seemed to take turns, one after another. That gave me enough time to grab my “baby lens” (I was too close to use my 500mm) and fire off a few shots of several of the pelicans as they struggled to gain enough speed to become airborne. This is one of those photos.
I got several interesting shots of them with their wings down and wings up but the upper background is so dark that their black primaries seemed to disappear when their wings were up. I typically don’t get quite as much sharpness and detail using this smaller zoom lens as I do with my 500mm and we see that here but I still like the shot and much prefer it over more detailed photos that almost certainly would have had clipped or cut off body parts. I love having that smaller but more versatile lens by my side as a standby.
This bird is a typical post-breeding adult. After breeding season adults develop a dark head and lose the “horn” sticking up from their upper mandible. In this individual we can still see a slightly raised area on the upper bill where the horn had been attached.
American White Pelicans breed here in northern Utah in large numbers, particularly on Gunnison Island in the Great Salt Lake. Each pair typically produces two young but generally only one of them survives because its sibling is harassed or killed by its nestmate, a form of siblicide.
Even though siblicide is far from unique to pelicans I’ve often wondered how and why such a seemingly bizarre behavior would evolve.
Ron
I remember seeing pelicans at Great Falls as a child. They were among my first bird photographs with an 135 or 110 camera! Question: Does the horn fall off, wear off, or dissolve after mating? Love this shot and the agony on the face of the pelican as it tries to get flying!
I’ve seen them at Great Falls too, Beth Ann. The “horn” falls off.
Nice composition. I think the light(er) foreground fading to dark background complements the pelican, a bird I’ve yet to see on the rare occasions they appear here. Your photo reminds me of watching them glide gracefully over the crests of the waves in California.
Thank you, Lyle.
Ron, I’ve never seen a pelican on the water or flying. It is hard to imagine what strength it takes for a 16 lb. bird to take flight. It must be amazing to see in person. I’ll have to go to Bear River when they are there. A great shot, in my opinion. Thanks, Ron
Watching (and listening to) a lumbering pelican taking off from water is a sight to behold, Alice.
I agree with your comment about how beautiful they are when soaring in the air. I grew up near the Snake River in Idaho below a dam and falls. It is also fun to watch how they maneuver in the turbulent waters there. I feel very fortunate to get to watch them out of my windows visiting the small lake at Forest Dale Golf Course that is my back yard. Spectacular wildlife in the middle of Salt Lake City.
I didn’t know pelicans could be found at Forest Dale, Betty. I used to live close by in southern Sugar House and I don’t remember seeing them there.
I adore these flying dinosaurs. We only see our pelicans in the summer which is about the only downside to winter I can think of. They look so improbable in the air, and so graceful on the water.
Wow, that pink bill of your pelican is sure distinctive, EC.
I didn’t know that about pelicans. Wow. And I thought my kid sister was obnoxious.
“And I thought my kid sister was obnoxious”
It’s all about perspective… 🙂
I’m at a loss to explain why but my comments once again did not go to the top and are under Kathy. My apologies but no one I’ve asked can give an answer yet.
Dan, I have no explanation other than I suspect you’re commenting from your phone and at least one other person has had it happen to them when they’re on their phone.
When I’m on my computer and replying to someone else’s comment the comment field is always a light blue. It’s white when I’m making an independent comment. I have no idea if that holds true on phones but it might be something to watch for.
Edit: I guess I lied. Apparently it’s light blue in both cases. I make very few independent comments so I just remembered incorrectly.
Ron,
Nice shot. I find it interesting that the coloring of birds changes so much with the seasons and their “state of mating” if I may call it that. I still struggle with focus and DOF with action shots and don’t have many sharp take-off or landing shots. I have shot next to you on the same day in the same location and in the same light at the same subject and my EXIF data is not the same as yours. My ISO is higher to get the same shutter speed and F-stop. I find that curious as I try to mimic some of your settings for flight shots. Do you think Canon and Nikon would be different enough to cause that discrepancy? Peculiar.
Best,
Stephen
Stephen, I can’t remember – how fast is your lens? If it isn’t at least f/4 that’s probably the explanation because mine is f/4. I don’t think it’s caused by a difference in camera brands. Mia shoots with me most of the time – she shoots Nikon but her bird lens is 500mm f/4 just like mine. If our settings are the same so are our shutter speeds, or very close (although our shooting styles tend to be different so often our settings, and as a result our shutter speeds, are different).
Fast lenses tend to be very expensive but given my usual shooting style (flight, takeoffs, quick behaviors etc.) the significant extra expense is worth it to me.
5.6 and variable 150-600 zoom Tamron. waiting for a 5.6 500 mm Nikon
thanks, SEC
Yup, that’s it then.
Super shot Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Growing up near the salt water in the East, I always thought of Pelicans as a southern coastal bird. I was amazed and fascinated to find them in Bear River MBR in Utah when I visited in June for the first time.
That’s what they do, Gary. They winter along warm southern coasts and move far inland to breed, usually on remote islands such as Gunnison Island here in Utah.
Thanks for posting Ron. Beautiful photo and some interesting information regarding the Pelicans. I am envious. We get a huge flock of over one hundred, but that is just for one day while on their journey to Gunnison. And of course if you are not watching daily at the correct time of year you will miss them. Sometimes one or two stragglers will stay for a while, but even then I have never seen one take off.
Thanks, Everett. We’re lucky to have so many of them during the breeding season.
Love the photo! ❤️ It is a great capture with the darkness of the water. One of my favorite birds of summer to watch. We have over 4000 nesting pairs here on the islands of the Bay of Green Bay and surrounding area waterways. Seeing them soaring above and circling coming in for a landing is a joy. Also their method of herding fish for a group feed is fascinating…like I said one of my favorite birds of summer! Many thanks for the great capture.
I agree, Kathy. There’s nothing, and I do mean nothing, quite like watching these pelicans soaring overhead. It’s a sight we get to see often around here and I’m always intrigued and delighted by it.
Love the photo. They all too often are sitting still or have just plunged their head below the water when I have camera in hand.
Siblicide occurs in many bird species around the world. It may be most notable here in pelicans, cranes and many raptors, and to a lesser extent, many other species. It can be difficult to raise a full brood with limited resources and competition. It is better to have fewer, but healthier young leave the nest. In some cases it is the younger chick who survives and kills the older chick. In species where this is common (pelicans, Bald Eagle), the parents may sit at the edge of the nest and make no intervention. Other kinds of birds, like quail, insure some survival by having a very large clutch. Only a very small number will survive to reach adulthood. It’s not siblicide in that case, but the effect on the overall population is about the same.
Thanks for your insight, Dan. I’ve speculated about several potential selection pressures that might give rise to this behavior but for me nothing jumped to the fore. I suspect that might be in part due to my negative emotional reaction to the behavior.
Wonderful shot! They seem like such bulky, clumsy birds until they are in flight – love watching a flock slowly (appearances), gracefully soaring……:) They were not in our area when I was growing up – Ft. Peck was the place for them if I remember correctly. Plenty on the Missouri these days and a few on Belt Creek upon occasion. Survival of the fittest I guess with the initial 2 being an “insurance policy”? Mother nature is brutal when it comes to these things. 🙁 It’s young packrat dispersal time here and they are “everywhere” – think parked vehicle engine compartments are the place to be…. 🙁
Judy, the first place I ever saw pelicans in MT was many years ago on the Missouri along I-15 near Great Falls. These days I see them many places up there.