White Pelicans

While out photographing some song birds in the yard last week, I took a break and sat down on my favorite bench with a cool drink (I take a lot of breaks). As I drained the glass, I glanced up at the sky and saw a flock of white pelicans flying overhead. What luck! I was able to photograph the flock as they were looking for a winter home.

A few days later, I visited Myakka State Park, in Sarasota County, to see if I could find one or more of the birds feeding on the water. Again, I was pretty fortunate; there was one white pelican on the water among several other shore birds. I spent about two hours photographing the birds.

It seems that the white pelicans prefer to feed in more quiet fresh or brackish waters than their cousins the brown pelicans. The brown guys are in Florida all year long. The white pelicans are snowbirds, here only during the cold months.

These are really pretty birds, one of the largest birds in the US. They differ from the brown variety in the way they feed: brown pelicans dive into the water for food, the white ones scoop fish up by moving their bills side to side in shallow water. It seems to work; I’ve never seen as skinny pelican.