American White Pelican

We do not typically see this species of pelican in Virginia (we have the Brown Pelican) but I was fortunate to be able to spend some time in Florida with a flock spending the Winter there a few years ago. According to the National Audubon Society this is “one of the largest birds in North America, with a 9-foot wingspan. Similar to Brown Pelican in shape but much larger, and very different in habits: Occurs far inland, feeds cooperatively in shallow lakes, does not dive from the air for fish. Despite its great size, a spectacular flier, with flocks often soaring very high in the air, ponderously wheeling and circling in unison.”
I was truly amazed at the overall size of this stunning bird. Its wing span was impressive on takeoff and landing and it didn’t make a sound. But, it was watching them feed cooperatively, as a group that took my breath away. They formed a semi circle and drove their prey (fish) into shallow water where they dipped in their huge pouches and scooped them up! They take in both water and fish, and then hold their bills vertically to drain out the water before swallowing the food.It was so interesting to watch and I watched it every chance I had!
This was a very shy bird, I discovered, so the majority of photographs taken required that I actually lay on the ground or use a blind. Since every pond in Florida has at least one alligator, I needed to be on guard for that as well. And did I mention mosquitoes? Florida has them year ‘round! And this was in early April!
I look forward to spending more time with this huge bird when I venture south to Florida in Winter for warmth and sunshine. It seems we have a lot in common!