Today, I’m sharing a photo of a small flock of American White Pelicans and a Double-crested Cormorant flying by in the gorgeous pink sky at the lock and dam.<\/p>\n
The cormorants and pelicans are small in the frame, and I don’t mind that at all. It\u2019s the pink sky combined with the birds that keeps me looking at and admiring this image.<\/p>\n The “pink hour” might not be as well known to photographers as the “blue” or “golden” hours, but I truly appreciate how the pink sky and its reflections highlight the birds in the images I take during this magical time period.<\/p>\n I’ve been seeing plenty of American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants this past week. Just yesterday, I noticed quite a few more cormorants. The Arkansas River really seems to attract both species at this time of year.<\/p>\n I’m learning more each day about the diverse habitats, birds, and wildlife in the area I\u2019ve chosen to call home. After living in Utah for almost 15 years, I\u2019d forgotten how stunning this part of the country is. Plus, I\u2019m having a marvelous time exploring a region I used to travel through but never spent much time in.<\/p>\n And some days? I\u2019m seriously, awesomely tickled pink.<\/p>\n Life is<\/em> good.<\/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. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Double-crested Cormorant photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, I’m sharing a photo of a small flock of American White Pelicans and a Double-crested Cormorant flying by in the gorgeous pink sky at the lock and dam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137322,"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":[3,27,144,15994,13973,15995],"tags":[3966,14023,970,5548,5200,1030,149,6692,4620,4052,4245,4122,15999,15998,4173,4154,4,706,5979,16000,4018,4043],"class_list":["post-137325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-white-pelicans","category-avian","category-double-crested-cormorant","category-le-flore-county","category-oklahoma","category-robert-s-kerr-lock-and-dam","tag-american-white-pelican","tag-arkansas-river","tag-autumn","tag-cormorant","tag-cormorants","tag-dawn","tag-double-crested-cormorant","tag-early-morning-light","tag-fall","tag-flight","tag-flocks","tag-flying","tag-kerr-dam","tag-kerr-lock","tag-nannopterum-auritus","tag-pelecanus-erythrorhynchos","tag-pelican","tag-pelicans","tag-pink","tag-pink-hour","tag-sky","tag-small-in-frame"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/american-white-pelicans-double-crested-cormorants-pink-mia-mcpherson-9794.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-zIV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":137309,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/23\/pink-hour-kerr-lock-and-dam-american-white-pelican-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":137325,"position":0},"title":"Pink Hour: Kerr Lock and Dam American White Pelican Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, I visited the Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, where one of the first birds I photographed was this American White Pelican.","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 preening on the Arkansas River at dawn, Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam, Le Flore County, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/american-white-pelican-kerr-dam-mia-mcpherson-9750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/american-white-pelican-kerr-dam-mia-mcpherson-9750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/american-white-pelican-kerr-dam-mia-mcpherson-9750.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/american-white-pelican-kerr-dam-mia-mcpherson-9750.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":726,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/09\/05\/american-white-pelican-preening-session\/","url_meta":{"origin":137325,"position":1},"title":"American White Pelican Preening Session","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Birds were scarce, the water level in the ponds was low so there were only a few shorebirds. On the way out of the refuge though we stopped to photograph some American White Pelicans and a few Double-crested Cormorants.","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 and Double-crested Cormorant scratching, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-cormorant-double-scratch-mia-mcpherson-7917.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-cormorant-double-scratch-mia-mcpherson-7917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-cormorant-double-scratch-mia-mcpherson-7917.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-cormorant-double-scratch-mia-mcpherson-7917.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137638,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/12\/02\/double-crested-cormorant-at-charleston-lake-park\/","url_meta":{"origin":137325,"position":2},"title":"Double-crested Cormorant At Charleston Lake Park","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm delighted to share two Double-crested Cormorant images that I took yesterday at Charleston Lake Park. Both photos show the same bird swimming on the lake.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Double-crested Cormorant swimming on Charleston Lake, Charleston Lake Park, Franklin County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/double-crested-cormorant-charleston-lake-mia-mcpherson-4563.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/double-crested-cormorant-charleston-lake-mia-mcpherson-4563.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/double-crested-cormorant-charleston-lake-mia-mcpherson-4563.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/double-crested-cormorant-charleston-lake-mia-mcpherson-4563.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46074,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/09\/missing-the-birds-of-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":137325,"position":3},"title":"Missing the Birds of Bear River MBR & Spring Migration","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route is still closed and many of the birders, bird photographers and nature lovers are itching to know what birds are there because after all spring migration is an exciting time at the refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flock of Long-billed Dowitchers in flight, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58333,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/06\/03\/highlights-of-my-bird-photography-trip-yesterday-to-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":137325,"position":4},"title":"Highlights Of My Bird Photography Trip Yesterday to Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"When a bird photography trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge starts with me spotting not just one but two Snowy Plovers out on the flats I just know the day is off to a great start and that is what happened yesterday morning.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-crowned Night Heron adult hunting in the marsh, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-5630.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-5630.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-5630.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-5630.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83823,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/04\/09\/four-resting-american-white-pelicans\/","url_meta":{"origin":137325,"position":5},"title":"Four Resting American White Pelicans","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Four days ago I had two opportunities to photograph American White Pelicans at the marshy wetlands of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.","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":"Four resting American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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, 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"\\"American")
American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants over the Arkansas River in early morning light \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 2500, +0.7 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n