{"id":118895,"date":"2023-12-11T04:40:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T11:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=118895"},"modified":"2023-12-11T06:21:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T13:21:22","slug":"bird-talk-american-white-pelicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/12\/11\/bird-talk-american-white-pelicans\/","title":{"rendered":"Bird Talk: American White Pelicans"},"content":{"rendered":"

My subject today is about bird talk: American White Pelicans, my friend Adonis, and his recent first trip back East, and to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican White Pelicans on the wing<\/span><\/p>\n

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First, a little bit about Adonis: Adonis works at my local grocery store, and he is a bit of a hero to me. During the pandemic, Adonis worked hard in difficult conditions. We all remember those, right?<\/p>\n

Even on the worst of days when it seemed everyone was either fearful or cranky, Adonis was still cheerful, helpful, and kind. As the months stretched into years, Adonis’s great character kept right on shining. I admire that about Adonis. He is, without a doubt, one of the best and friendliest employees at my local grocery store.<\/p>\n

Adonis knows I am a bird and nature photographer and asks me about my trips into the field and which birds and animals I am finding. In December of 2019, I gave one of the Peregrine Fund<\/span><\/a> 2020 calendars that had one of my American Kestrel photos featured in it, to him.<\/p>\n

A few days ago, while I was in the store checking out, Adonis chatted with me and told me that he had been on his first trip back East to North Carolina. Adonis also said he had been to the Outer Banks and thought that the coast was great. I’ve also been there and could imagine seeing and hearing the Atlantic Ocean as Adonis talked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"AmericanAmerican White Pelican on the wing over Farmington Bay WMA<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then, Adonis began to describe some large birds he saw with huge wingspans and very long bills that he saw on the coast. Right away, I knew he was talking about pelicans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I asked if the pelicans were white or brown, and when Adonis said that they were white, I told him they were American White Pelicans. I also told Adonis that we have American White Pelicans here in Utah and I loved watching the smile broaden on his face!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

So, imagine if you will, Adonis and I chatting about the nine-foot wingspan of American White Pelicans<\/span><\/a>, how they used to nest on Gunnison Island in the Great Salt Lake before the lake level dropped so low. From our bird talk, Adonis now knows he can see the large white pelicans he found on the Outer Banks of NC right here at home in northern Utah.<\/p>\n

And Adonis, if you and your girlfriend want to see those pelicans, I am extending an invite today. I can show them to you around mid-February when they start migrating back into Utah in large numbers.<\/p>\n

Bird talk\u2014it can happen anywhere.<\/p>\n

Life is good. Talking about birds with other people? That makes life even better.<\/p>\n

Yes, I know, I can’t stop talking about birds. They are my passion and obsession.<\/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":"

My subject today is about bird talk: American White Pelicans, my friend Adonis, and his recent first trip back East, and to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118889,"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":[3,124,163,27,1148,1022,697,26],"tags":[4004,3966,14599,4101,5047,4052,4122,4067,4094,4069,4154,4,706,4018,165,2239,4095,373],"class_list":["post-118895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-white-pelicans","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-bird-identification","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-white-pelican","tag-bird-talk","tag-clouds","tag-first-spring","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-immature","tag-marsh","tag-mountains","tag-pelecanus-erythrorhynchos","tag-pelican","tag-pelicans","tag-sky","tag-spring","tag-sub-adult","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/american-white-pelicans-in-flight-mia-mcpherson-3581.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-uVF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117537,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/10\/27\/fall-american-white-pelican-images-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":118895,"position":0},"title":"Fall American White Pelican Images At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On this fall morning, I'm sharing three American White Pelican images from Bear River MBR taken earlier this week and a bonus flock photo from last year.","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 the fall, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/american-white-pelican-in-fall-mia-mcpherson-5403.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/american-white-pelican-in-fall-mia-mcpherson-5403.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American White Pelican showing the nearly 9 foot wingspan, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/american-white-pelican-flying-mia-mcpherson-9838.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/american-white-pelican-flying-mia-mcpherson-9838.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/american-white-pelican-flying-mia-mcpherson-9838.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/american-white-pelican-flying-mia-mcpherson-9838.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelicans-bearriver-mbr-mia-mcpherson-3879.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-pelicans-bearriver-mbr-mia-mcpherson-3879.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelicans-bearriver-mbr-mia-mcpherson-3879.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelicans-bearriver-mbr-mia-mcpherson-3879.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5146,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/06\/07\/birds-of-bear-river-mbr-american-white-pelicans\/","url_meta":{"origin":118895,"position":3},"title":"Birds of Bear River MBR – American White Pelicans","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is an excellent location for finding and photographing American White Pelicans who have wing spans of over nine feet.","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":"Nonbreeding plumage American White Pelican in flight over Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-flight-mia-mcpherson-6197.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-flight-mia-mcpherson-6197.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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