Pelecanus occidentalis

Brown Pelicans on the Gulf of Mexico

By Mia McPherson, on February 20th, 2013%

Adult Brown Pelican in breeding plumage – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/750, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

The forecast is calling for snow today and there is already a heavy cloud cover so looked back through my files and found some Brown Pelican images taken on a warm February morning in Florida to post today. Brown Pelicans along the coast in Florida are very common and even though they were I tried not to overlook them as subjects for my photography while I lived there.

Adult Brown Pelican floating on the Gulf of Mexico - Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

For all of these images I was laying on the sand of the shoreline to obtain a low angle perspective, I wanted to be eye level with the pelicans.

Brown Pelicans on the Gulf of Mexico - Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

In this last image I like how the out of focus pelican in the background adds a feeling of depth to this frame and how the beautiful color of the Gulf of Mexico helps the Brown Pelican in the foreground to stand out.

Mia

More Brown Pelican images

A few bird images from warmer and sunnier days

By Mia McPherson, on January 31st, 2013%

Scratching Snowy Egret – Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 400, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 200mm

I love winter, I love seeing snow on the mountains and feeling the crispness in the air but I am getting tired of gray cloudy days and heavy fog so I thought I would post a few images from warmer and sunnier days that I took while I lived in Florida.

It wasn’t exactly sunny when I photographed the Snowy Egret scratching its neck above but it certainly was warmer.

White Ibis feeding in the Gulf of Mexico Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/800, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light

It was quite warm when I photographed this adult White Ibis as it hunted and fed in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on a sunny August day in 2008. Temps were probably in the high 90′s with humidity levels of about the same.

Brown Pelican in flight – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 200, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light

I took the Brown Pelican in flight image not long after I had gotten my Nikon D200 and I was learning about the camera. Unfortunately I clipped just the top of the pelican’s wingtip at the top of the frame so when I cropped the image I removed just the wingtips at the lower edge of the frame to balance out the composition. I’m still not sure I like that but I do love the direct eye contact I got from the pelican and the fluffy clouds in the background.

Black Skimmer on a hazy day Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/750, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

It was a hazy day when I photographed this Black Skimmer adult in breeding plumage, the wind was blowing and the temps were fairly high. I remember the warmth and texture of the sugar sand I was laying on and being grateful for the wind to help cool me off while I took images of this Skimmer calling.

I’m not exactly wishing winter would go away because winter here in Utah will last a bit longer but when I edit images from warmer days I realize it won’t be long until spring has sprung.

Mia

Adult Brown Pelican in flight

By Mia McPherson, on April 9th, 2012%

Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) were common year round along the Gulf coast when I lived in Florida. I would see them floating in the water, resting on sandbars and beaches, diving for prey and in flight.

Adult Brown Pelican in flight – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

This adult Brown Pelican is in breeding plumage as indicated by the orange tipped bill, what you can not see because of the wing and neck position is the dark plumage along the backside of the neck. I photographed this bird on the west coast of Florida as it flew past me over the Gulf of Mexico.

Mia

More Brown Pelican images

Brown Pelicans

By Mia McPherson, on February 19th, 2011%

Close up of a juvenile Brown Pelican

Close up of a juvenile Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f8, 1/640, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light

I’ve posted about American White Pelicans before so I thought I would give their “cousins”, the Brown Pelicans some coverage too. Although white and brown pelicans are similar in shape there are notable differences between the two species. Brown Pelicans are more slender than white pelicans and they are also smaller in weight, length and wingspan. Both are long-lived species, the oldest known brown pelican lived to be 43 years old according to BNA (a pay site). The color differences between white and brown pelicans are obvious.

The juvenile brown pelican above was resting on some rocks with other pelicans nearby. I think the feather patterns on the back and wings are very interesting

Brown Pelicans flying in formation

Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying in formation
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 400, Nikkor 80-400mm at 310mm, natural light

Flocks of brown pelicans often fly in lines or v-formations, at times they appear to be barely skimming over the surface of the water then rising up in what looks like an undulating wave then they glide back down again. When they are flying low over the water I have wondered if they ever crash into a wave but I have never seen that happen.

Brown Pelicans feed by diving head first into the water to trap fish in the pouches of their bills. I once witnessed a brown pelican dive that came back up with a small shark in it’s bill and it swallowed the shark whole! It was pretty amazing to watch but too far away to get any decent shots other than documentary images.

Brown Pelicans at the start of a dive

Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) at the start of a dive
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 175mm, natural light

Usually prior to a dive the pelicans fly up then they twist their bodies & wings before they plunge towards the water. Gulls often circle around them hoping that some fish will spill out the pouch and they would be able to get a free meal without as much work. The gulls in the image above are laughing gulls.

Brown Pelicans nearing the bottom of a dive

Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) nearing the bottom of a dive
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1000, Iso 200, Nikkor 80-400MM VR at 400mm, natural light

These spectacular dives happen extremely fast, for the image above I should have increased my ISO to gain more shutter speed because 1/1000 was almost not fast enough! The juvenile on the far left and the three adults plunged head first into the waters of the Gulf. This photo was taken in January and although the water wasn’t as warm as it is in summer I know I had been in it to photograph other birds on that day. Crazy bird photographer that I am.

Feeding Brown Pelicans

Feeding Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, ISO 200, Nikoor 80-400mm VR at 175mm, natural light

The pelicans plunge into the water first with their bills and heads. At times most of the whole body of the bird will go under the surface of the water but just as often I have noticed that parts of the pelicans do not submerge. Good thing humans don’t feed like this or we would all be walking around with killer headaches!

Head First!

Head First!
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light

The image above was taken just after the bill cut into the water but before the head submerged, when I viewed this file full sized it appears that at this point the pelican’s nictitating membrane closes over the eye to protect it.

Juvenile Brown Pelican floating by

Juvenile Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) floating by
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/750, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

Juvenile Brown Pelicans are primarily brown, including the head and neck, the belly is a lighter creamy color. Their eyes are dark and only a little yellow shows on the bill at the age of the pelican above. The wing and back feathers have a diamond-like pattern to them

Brown Pelican adult about to lift off

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) adult about to lift off
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

Adults have lighter back and wing feathers with an almost striped appearance on the chest and belly, the bird above is nearly in full breeding plumage. There are two subspecies in North America, the Atlantic and Pacific. The bird above is from the Atlantic subspecies. An adult in breeding plumage Pacific subspecies would show more red on the bill and the pouch.

Brown Pelican splashing down into a tidal lagoon

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) splashing down into a tidal lagoon
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

Brown Pelicans are fascinating, unmistakable birds to observe and photograph along the coasts of North America. I do know this; I wouldn’t want to be a fish under the brown pelican above!

Mia

More Brown Pelican images

Small in the frame

By Mia McPherson, on August 19th, 2010%

Though I quite often photograph birds so that they are what is labled “frame filling” I also like to compose images that show the bird or animals small in the frame.

Palm Warbler perched on Sea Purslane
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, F6.3, 1/640, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.

For me this image above is as much about the Sea Purslane and the OOF Sea Oats on the sand dune in the background as it is about the as it is about the Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum). I wanted to show the scale of the bird and purslane, the warbler is tiny and the individual leaves of the purslane are too.

Oystercatcher juvenile in the surf
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, HH, f5.6, 1/160, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.

I do have other reasons for taking images where the birds are small in the frame. I don’t approach, harrass or disturb nesting birds or chicks. I will remain at a distance from the nest or chicks even knowing that I’ll take a heavier crop than normal and while I am framing the shot I will look for a setting or background that will work with a bird smaller in the frame.

The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) chick in the image above isn’t frame filling but I feel the wave about to crash in the background and the bits and pieces of shells and the bird’s pose provide enough interest. Also since the chick is small having it smaller in the frame can accentuate that.

Laughing Gull in a quiet lagoon
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, HH, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 400, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.

I didn’t feel that the Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) in the photo above was all that interesting from the distance I was away from the bird but as I positioned myself lower and lower in the lagoon while looking through the viewfinder I found the still water, dark reflections and the contrast of the lighter colored gull very interesting, so I took a few shots. I know the image above isn’t likely to appeal to a large audience of viewers, but it does have appeal for me.

Feeding Brown Pelicans over the Gulf of Mexico
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, HH, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 175mm, natural light.

Another reason that I might compose an image with birds small in the frame is that I may want to include several birds or animals in an image and include enough background to give the viewer a sense of place.

The Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in this image are actively hunting over and diving into the Gulf of Mexico, the gulls seen in the image are hoping to get the baitfish that the pelicans might lose. I wanted to convey the differences of the sizes of the gulls and pelicans as well as include the clouds in the early morning sky.

These are just a few examples of why I might compose images with birds or animals that are small in the frame.

Mia