A PLETHORA OF PELICANS: One unforgettable day at Farmington Bay
An American White Pelican shows off some of his 9 foot wingspan as he deploys his landing gears.
If you’re coming here from my newsletter - it worked! Feel free to skip to the end for a gallery of photos.
“Just a quick check, in and out,” I told myself. I was on the hunt for a very small critter: the Long-Tailed Weasel. Instead, I found a very large critter - and a couple hundred of his friends.
Beginning my drive down the muddy roads of Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, I wasn’t optimistic. The light was flat, the weather was dreary, and all the birds seemed to be sitting just out of reach.
Having no luck with the weasel, I resigned myself to the fact this trip was probably a strike out. Other than a few Kestrels and a Great Blue Heron (quickly spooked off by some construction trucks), I figured I was going home with an empty SD card.
But sometimes, just when you least expect it, something incredible happens. It’s one of my favorite things about wildlife photography.
I had to get back to work, but I decided to head down the road just a little further for no real reason - maybe out of stubbornness or to scratch that “just in case” itch.
Turns out, it was worth it.
I spotted a few American White Pelicans in the water close by the road, and eagerly pulled over to photograph them and some Coots.
If you’re unfamiliar with Coots and/or like feet pics, keep reading to learn more about them in today’s Junk Drawer.
I’m still chasing the perfect American Coot shot, but this will do for now.
The Coots were skittish as always, but the Pelicans didn’t seem too frightened by my presence. Probably because their wingspans are almost twice as long as mine, so they could easily dunk on me if some pickup basketball were to erupt. As they got used to this strange curly headed creature, I crept to the edge of the boat ramp for some eye level shots.
Suddenly, appearing out of what seemed like nowhere - I’m not exaggerating here - HUNDREDS of pelicans appeared in the skies. The Ride of the Valkyries played in my head. (Go ahead, play it to get the full experience)
Imagine a whole line of this stretching across the sky into the horizon.
Crouched in my usual shrimp-like position near the water’s edge, I was too afraid to make any sudden movements that might disrupt their flight path. So there I was, frozen in place, kicking myself for leaving my phone and wide lenses in the car. I was shooting with a fixed length 400mm and couldn’t zoom out to capture them all, so I tried the best I could and muttered all sorts of things akin to “holy moly,” “gee willikers,” and “wowzers” - but with a bit more profanity.
Pelicans pouring out of the sky, non-stop for minutes on end.
Just as my eyes returned to their sockets, even more Pelicans appeared out of the clouds and soared over my head. It was one of the coolest things I’d ever experienced, so of course, I didn’t have my phone on me.
Then they started landing - right next to me in the water.
One of these days I’ll upload the slow motion videos to my Youtube channel.
Now I don’t know about y’all, but I didn’t live through World War II. Yet with hundreds of aerial objects descending upon me - all I could think about were those WW2 era film reels of bomber squadrons arriving in droves. Thankfully, these pelicans were kind enough not to drop their loads on me.
This one did drop his fish though.
What was supposed to be a short 20 minute visit turned into almost 3 hours of photographing these American White Pelicans as they gathered in the river, swallowing fish whole, and swinging their massive beaks in sync. I’ve returned to the same area a few times after that, but have yet to experience another Pelican downpour.
Check out the gallery below, but first - back to the Coots!
JUNK DRAWER: Like I said, Coots are some crazy cool birds. About the size of a football (yes, we’re using American measurements here), they’d look like dark nondescript blobs if it weren’t for their white beaks and red eyes. That is, until they step out of the water. Only then are you exposed to a flash of green color on their absolutely insane feet. Instead of webbed feet, they have freaky little feet flaps. These flaps flop freely, acting as flippers while they forage for food. (Enough F’s for you yet?)
