{"id":101504,"date":"2022-04-10T05:19:26","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T11:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=101504"},"modified":"2022-04-10T05:22:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-10T11:22:43","slug":"american-white-pelican-in-low-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/10\/american-white-pelican-in-low-light\/","title":{"rendered":"American White Pelican In Low Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult American White Pelican in low light \u2013 Nikon D500, f10, 1\/160, ISO 1000, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I am enjoying seeing the birds that have returned to breed in Utah including this American White Pelican I photographed in low light two days ago at a local pond. Technically it was past sunrise but this pond was still in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains when I took this image.<\/p>\n

This pelican and two others not shown in this photo may have spent the night sleeping on the urban pond. The other two pelicans were resting with their bills tucked into their back feathers. This pelican was preening and getting ready for the day and I focused primarily on it.<\/p>\n

The adult American White Pelicans<\/span><\/a> that have migrated back to Utah are in their breeding plumage right now and have “horns” on their bills.<\/p>\n

The Importance of the Great Salt Lake For Utah’s American White Pelicans<\/h2>\n

American White Pelicans in northern Utah nest on Gunnison Island which is in the Great Salt Lake. Because of low water levels Gunnison Island<\/span><\/a> is no longer an island because of the land bridges that formed as the lake level dropped. The land bridges have made it easier for land predators to access the island which has significantly affected the success of the nesting pelicans.<\/p>\n

Yesterday morning when I drove to a local convenience store I noticed that at least one of the people in my neighborhood has already started to water their blue grass lawn. I cringed, cursed and thought about the Great Salt Lake water levels. How could I not? People have altered the water flow of the rivers into the lake and while the water used on lawns isn’t the only reason the lake level has dropped it has certainly contributed to it. We live in a desert where water is precious and it ruffles my feathers to see water wasted on lawns.<\/p>\n

The Great Salt Lake, the birds and wildlife need the water more.<\/p>\n

Xeriscaping and using native drought-tolerant plants in yards can be part of the solution to help the Great Salt Lake water levels along with the birds and wildlife that depend on it.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good. Life is better when we protect nature.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my American White Pelican photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am enjoying seeing the birds that have returned to breed in Utah including this American White Pelican I photographed in low light two days ago at a local pond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":101500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,27,709,26],"tags":[4004,3966,4053,3965,12827,4005,6068,2389,12826,4302,4154,4,706,1984,165,953,8018,3996,12229],"class_list":["post-101504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-white-pelicans","category-avian","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-white-pelican","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-caruncle","tag-drought-tolerant-plants","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-gunnison-island","tag-horn","tag-lake-level","tag-native","tag-pelecanus-erythrorhynchos","tag-pelican","tag-pelicans","tag-pond","tag-spring","tag-standing","tag-urban","tag-water","tag-xeriscaping"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/american-white-pelican-early-morning-mia-mcpherson-3848.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-qpa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":112311,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/16\/spring-american-white-pelican-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":101504,"position":0},"title":"Spring American White Pelican Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This collection of American White Pelican photos were taken starting the 6th of April. Some of the images show the snow from a snowstorm earlier this month.","rel":"","context":"In "American White Pelicans"","block_context":{"text":"American White Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American White Pelican in a morning mist, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-white-pelican-adult-mist-mia-mcpherson-0481.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-white-pelican-adult-mist-mia-mcpherson-0481.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-white-pelican-adult-mist-mia-mcpherson-0481.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Before summer begins, I wanted to share these American White Pelican portraits that I took along the shoreline of my local pond.","rel":"","context":"In "American White Pelicans"","block_context":{"text":"American White Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American White Pelican portrait with a split horn, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-white-pelican-adult-mia-mcpherson-2343.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-white-pelican-adult-mia-mcpherson-2343.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-white-pelican-adult-mia-mcpherson-2343.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-stretching-3383.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-stretching-3383.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-stretching-3383.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-stretching-3383.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4654,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/03\/19\/american-white-pelican-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":101504,"position":4},"title":"American White Pelican In Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Not far from where I live there is a small pond where I photographed this American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) just after it had lifted off from the water two springs ago.","rel":"","context":"In "American White Pelicans"","block_context":{"text":"American White Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American White Pelican in flight with trees in the background, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-9913.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-9913.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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