Pelicans Laughing

It's natural to anthropomorphize even the most ugly of birds. Thanks to high speed drive mode I was able to catch these guys in various stages of smiling.

Love those pelicans

I rarely go to the same location at the same time each year but I can't get enough of the pelicans at Lac Qui Parle Dam west of Watson. All the shots are identical, except for the light, so I was practicing with my video set up and waiting for sweet light to do still shots when this bird's landing came along.

Spring Pelicans

The recent cool weather not only reminded me of the upcoming season but also of an afternoon in May that was spent watching pelicans in western Minnesota. The usual location at the LacQuiParle Dam was filled with fisherman and therefore very few pelicans. I went up river to the Marsh Lake Dam where the pelicans were alone except for a couple fishermen and myself.

Technical: Recorded with a Canon C100 using a 100-400 mm lens.

Elegant Pelicans

A flock of pelicans soaring is a complete contradiction to their ungainly appearance in the water. Other birds may soar but as a flock pelicans are one of the most graceful birds I have seen.

On the Hunt

Pelicans hunt as a team herding their prey and plunging into the water as a group. After that it's every bird for itself with harassment and attempts at stealing the meal from the successful bird. All in all, a fascinating bird to watch.

A couple in every crowd

There are a variety of terms for it: Marching to a different drummer, head in the clouds, etc. They are the dreamers, the adventurers, the pelicans who find the fish the rest have overlooked. 

The Wave

I watched pelicans yesterday afternoon and took a few shots. Action was non stop for hours and the light was great. This morning I have the fun of editing and wondering, "Why did I take that?".