{"id":9844,"date":"2013-10-19T05:34:50","date_gmt":"2013-10-19T11:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=9844"},"modified":"2025-09-28T05:47:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:47:39","slug":"american-white-pelican-lifting-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/10\/19\/american-white-pelican-lifting-off\/","title":{"rendered":"American White Pelican Lifting Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmericanAmerican White Pelican lifting off – Nikon D200, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 250, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC\u00a0at 280mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

American White Pelicans are graceful in flight and\u00a0I adore seeing them in huge squadrons soaring on the thermals especially when they rise and fall in formation and seemingly disappear\u00a0from the sky\u00a0for a few seconds to reappear with the light bouncing brightly off their white plumage.<\/p>\n

For the first few seconds of\u00a0lifting off though American White Pelicans almost appear to be clumsy. They push off with their webbed feet from land or water and flap hard with those huge wings.<\/p>\n

If you are nearby when they take off from the water their wings slapping the water can sound quite loud.<\/p>\n

This American White Pelican was taking off from a pond near where I live in Salt Lake County and I happened to click the shutter when its wings were extended upwards and when its feet had just slapped the water, to me it almost looks like the pelican is skiing.<\/p>\n

The growth on the bill is called a horn or caruncle is actually a fibrous epidermal plate that these pelicans exhibit during their breeding season.<\/p>\n

In Florida I would only see these massive American White Pelicans during their nonbreeding season and I had a difficult time getting close enough to them to achieve high quality images.<\/p>\n

Here in Utah where they spend their breeding season in high numbers I have been fortunate to obtain the images I had previously only dreamed of. Certainly this isn’t the best of my images of these wonderful pelicans but I do enjoy how this shows at least a snippet of the movements that it takes for a rather large bird to achieve flight from the water.<\/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.<\/p>\n

Taken in 2010<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This American White Pelican was taking off from a pond near where I live in Salt Lake County and I happened to click the shutter when its wings were extended upwards and when its feet had just slapped the water<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,27,709,26],"tags":[4004,3965,4052,4122,4282,4944,4154,4,706,1984,3792,5428,3996,4741],"class_list":["post-9844","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-caruncle","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-lift-off","tag-lifting-off","tag-pelecanus-erythrorhynchos","tag-pelican","tag-pelicans","tag-pond","tag-take-off","tag-taking-off","tag-water","tag-white-pelicans"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-3506.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-2yM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9927,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/10\/21\/juvenile-brown-pelican-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":9844,"position":0},"title":"Juvenile Brown Pelican In Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"After posting an image of a American White Pelican lifting off two days ago I thought I should post an photo of a Brown Pelican today for comparison.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Brown Pelican in flight, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/brown-pelican-juvenile-flying-mia-mcpherson-2853.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/brown-pelican-juvenile-flying-mia-mcpherson-2853.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/brown-pelican-juvenile-flying-mia-mcpherson-2853.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/brown-pelican-juvenile-flying-mia-mcpherson-2853.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4851,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/04\/21\/american-white-pelicans-of-the-great-basin\/","url_meta":{"origin":9844,"position":1},"title":"American White Pelicans of the Great Basin","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"During the winter months I miss seeing large flocks of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) soaring in the thermals, in the past few weeks I have been delighted to see them again.","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":"Fluffed up American White Pelican, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/american-white-pelican-fluffed-mia-mcpherson-4670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/american-white-pelican-fluffed-mia-mcpherson-4670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/american-white-pelican-fluffed-mia-mcpherson-4670.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/american-white-pelican-fluffed-mia-mcpherson-4670.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112311,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/16\/spring-american-white-pelican-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":9844,"position":2},"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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/american-white-pelican-adult-mist-mia-mcpherson-0481.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":113425,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/05\/15\/american-white-pelicans-study-of-light-and-shadows\/","url_meta":{"origin":9844,"position":3},"title":"American White Pelicans – Study Of Light And Shadows","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month there were plenty of American White Pelicans at my local pond. Because they were there I had the opportunity to photograph them in light and shadows.","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 Pelicans with light and shadows, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-white-pelican-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-4533.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-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-4533.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-white-pelican-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-4533.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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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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