PelicanStudies

The Pelican Wildlife Study displays 100 images of Brown, White and Pink-Backed Pelicans,
including takeoffs, flight shots, portraits, and behavioral shots taken in California and Florida.

The Brown Pelican is shown in both Breeding and Non-Breeding plumage (more images of the
Brown Pelican are in the Florida section). The White Pelican is shown in great detail, with a large
number of images showing flight, takeoffs and landings, herding fish, and just being a pelican
in all sorts of light. I have added images of Pink-Backed Pelicans, with some detail shots.

Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3

Brown Pelican

Unlike most other Pelicans, the Brown Pelican (and the similar Peruvian Pelican) feed by diving on their prey.
The Brown Pelican is the smallest of the Pelicans, and like the White Pelican it is gregarious, living in flocks.
Below are portraits and composites of Brown Pelicans in breeding and non-breeding plumage and hunting.

BrownPelican_3653


Brown Pelican 3653

A Brown Pelican Juvenile, taken in January at Bolsa Chica Refuge.

BrownPelican_3596


Brown Pelican 3596

A Brown Pelican Juvenile at Bolsa Chica Refuge, with the typical mottled brown plumage.

BrownPelican_Non-Breeding_0502M


Brown Pelican Non-Breeding 0502 M

A Brown Pelican displaying post-Breeding Plumage in November.

In their breeding plumage, their bill and pouch are redder, the head
becomes a creamy yellow, and the iris turns bluish-white. The neck is
dark brown before breeding, but after breeding the neck turns white.

BrownPelican_Non-Breeding_0501c


Brown Pelican Non-Breeding 0501c

A detail crop of a Brown Pelican in post-breeding plumage.

BrownPelican_Non-Breeding_0518c


Brown Pelican Non-Breeding 0518c

A detail crop of a post-breeding Brown Pelican taking off.

BrownPelican_BreedingPlumage_3571


Brown Pelican Breeding Plumage 3571

BrownPelican_BreedingPlumage_3572


Brown Pelican Breeding Plumage 3572

A Brown Pelican in Breeding plumage, preening at the edge of the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.
Note the dark brown neck and the brilliant red of the gular pouch and edges at the tip of the bill.

BrownPelican_BreedingPlumage_3575M


Brown Pelican Breeding Plumage 3575 M

After preening, there is nothing like a good stretch, which also shows the brilliant red pouch and bill edges.

BrownPelican_GularPouch_3611


Brown Pelican Gular Pouch 3611

The gular pouch of a juvenile Brown Pelican, backlit by the sun.
A Brown Pelican pouch can hold three gallons of fish and water.

BrownPelicans_3558


Brown Pelicans 3558

BrownPelicans_3559


Brown Pelicans 3559

Preening is a popular activity, as can be seen in the two images above which show an
adult in Breeding plumage and three juveniles alongside the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

BrownPelican_JuvenileStretching_3564c


Brown Pelican Juvenile Stretching 3564c

A detail crop of one of the juveniles taking a good post-preening stretch.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
BrownPelican_Flight_X0045


Brown Pelican Flight X0045

A non-breeding adult Brown Pelican in flight over the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica in April.

BrownPelican_0565


Brown Pelican 0565

A Brown Pelican in Breeding plumage, shot at sunrise in late November on Sanibel Island, Florida.

BrownPelican_Dive_HS5709


Brown Pelican Dive HS5709

BrownPelican_Dive_HS5714


Brown Pelican Dive HS5714

Two hunting dive shots from the composite images shown below, taken at Bolsa Chica Wildlife Refuge.

Unlike most other Pelicans which herd fish from the surface and then scoop them up while swimming,
Brown Pelicans (and similar Peruvian Pelicans) spot schools of fish from above, then dive on them,
opening their bill to catch the fish in their huge pouch. They keep the fish in sight by turning over in
flight just before they hit the water, so the bird often enters the water sideways or upside down.

BrownPelicanDive_XL


Brown Pelican Dive XL

A 1029 x 1200 version of the XL composite (2464 x 2874) showing a Brown Pelican
plunging into a canal at Bolsa Chica Refuge in a hunting dive just before sunset in late May.

BrownPelican_Hunting_XXL


Brown Pelican Hunting XXL

A 1500 x 1276 version of the XXL Composite (4938 x 4200) showing a Brown Pelican
plunging into a canal at Bolsa Chica Refuge in a hunting dive just before sunset in late May.

BrownPelican_HuntingDive_3623_25_26


Brown Pelican Hunting Dive 3623, 25, 26

A 1500 x 640 composite of a Brown Pelican hunting dive sequence from Bolsa Chica Wildlife Refuge.

Brown_Pelican_Hunting_Sunrise_1335-37M


Brown Pelican Hunting Sunrise 1335-37 M

A 1500 x 1223 composite image of a Brown Pelican hunting dive at sunrise off Sanibel Island, Florida.

More images of Brown Pelicans are in the Bolsa Chica and Florida Wildlife sections.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
BrownPelican_Flight_HS9681


Brown Pelican Flight HS9681

A juvenile Brown Pelican in flight over Ballona Creek in the late afternoon in July.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9686


Brown Pelican Flight HS9686

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9772


Brown Pelican Flight HS9772

Two juvenile Brown Pelicans in flight, taken head-on over Ballona Creek.

The closing speed of a Brown Pelican can be quite fast, and it is exceptionally difficult to capture
a sharp head-on image in flight as the bird often flies through the depth of field of a telephoto lens.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9797


Brown Pelican Flight HS9797

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9799


Brown Pelican Flight HS9799

A juvenile Brown Pelican in somewhat ragged summer plumage, captured as it passed directly overhead.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9798M


Brown Pelican Flight HS9798 M

Unlike the typical grayish color of the gular pouch in non-breeding plumage, this bird has a yellowish pouch.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9846


Brown Pelican Flight HS9846

A Brown Pelican (with the typical grayish gular pouch) on a head-on approach at Ballona Creek.

Below are several images of this bird in a flight study sequence. The image above was left out of
the Flight Study Composite, but along with the images in the composite, it is available separately.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9847


Brown Pelican Flight HS9847

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9848


Brown Pelican Flight HS9848

Several wing positions of this Brown Pelican as it transitions from soaring flight to make a shallow
turn following Ballona Creek. The Pelican’s wings are so efficient that it does not need to flap much.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9849


Brown Pelican Flight HS9849

A Brown Pelican with its wings in soaring position as it begins a shallow turn past the photographer.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9850


Brown Pelican Flight HS9850

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9851


Brown Pelican Flight HS9851

These images show superb detail of the underwing coverts and the primary and secondary feathers.

BrownPelican_Flight_HS9857M


Brown Pelican Flight HS9857 M

A juvenile Brown Pelican displays its wing detail as it flies past the photographer at Ballona Creek.

BrownPelican_FlightStudy_XXL


Brown Pelican Flight Study XXL

A 3000 x 440 version of the XXL Flight Study Composite (14000 x 1750) showing the Brown Pelican
displayed in the previous image as he makes a slow left turn past the photographer at Ballona Creek.

The XXL Composite makes a spectacular 5 to 6 ft. wide panoramic print.
(Each of the images in this flight sequence are also available separately.)

Brown Pelicans can easily fly through the depth of field of a long telephoto lens, as the closing speed
can be high. Unless you maintain a focus lock where the wing meets the sky, the lack of contrast on the
body and head makes it difficult to track focus, and maintaining a focus lock through a sequence is rare.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
Pelicans_HerdingFish_0520


Pelicans Herding Fish 0520

A 1600 x 700 panorama crop of White Pelicans herding fish,
taken on an overcast December morning at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

White Pelicans cooperate to herd fish in shallow water, and are often seen with Double-Crested Cormorants.

PelicanFlight_0330


Pelican Flight 0330

PelicanFlight_0527


Pelican Flight 0527

White Pelicans in flight at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

The American White Pelican (along with the Trumpeter Swan) is one of the largest birds in North America,
with the second longest wingspan after the California Condor. It uses its broad 9-10 ft. wings to soar in flight.

PelicanLanding_0270


Pelican Landing 0270

White Pelicans can be extremely challenging to shoot around mid-day
when the skies are clear due to the bright reflections off their feathers.
The reduced contrast and softer reflections of overcast days allow for
better examination of feather detail when shots are taken at mid-day.

White Pelicans are a lot easier to shoot on cloudy days too.
Further below, you’ll see a number of shots taken on a clear
day at noon... the difficulties will be immediately apparent.

PelicanLanding_0229


Pelican Landing 0229

Pelican_0324


Pelican 0324

Posing Pelicans at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Like all Pelicans, the White Pelican has an enormously long bill with a gular pouch below the bill
which the Pelican uses to store caught fish (it spills water from the pouch before swallowing its catch).
Pelicans eat up to three lbs. of fish a day, and only carry food in their pouch when delivering it to their chick.

Pelican_0311


Pelican 0311

Pelican_0216


Pelican 0216

White Pelicans are among the heaviest flying birds in the world, weighing from 9 to 30 pounds.
Pelicans are very clumsy on land, but they are excellent swimmers and are quite graceful in the air.

WhitePelicans_MatingSeason_2541


White Pelicans Mating Season 2541

This image taken at Big Bear Lake in the Southern California mountains shows
White Pelicans with the horn on the bill which they display during mating season.

White Pelicans are the only one of the eight species of Pelican to have a horn on their bill.

PelicanFlight_0916


Pelican Flight 0916

A White Pelican soars over Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in the early afternoon in mid-November.
Notice that the projection or horn on the bill (the nuptial tubercle) is beginning to grow.

Pelicans can be tricky to get a focus lock on in the sky because the normal way of focusing on the wing root
or head does not work since there is so little contrast. The best way is to focus on the leading edge of a wing
or on the bill. The bill is best as it will put the head in the focused plane regardless of the aperture selected.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
Pelican_HS6791


Pelican HS6791

Pelican_HS6795


Pelican HS6795

Shot late in the afternoon at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge. Notice how dark the water appears in these shots.
The water is dark because of the exposure compensation which is required to properly expose the white bird.

PelicanTakeoff_0134


Pelican Takeoff 0134

PelicanTakeoff_0135


Pelican Takeoff 0135

A White Pelican takeoff, taken in the late morning on a clear day at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.
Achieving proper exposure of a White Pelican under these conditions can be quite challenging.

These two images are part of a takeoff sequence which is shown in the composite image below.

White_Pelican_Takeoff_SXXL


White Pelican Takeoff SXXL

A 1500 x 708 version of the SXXL Composite (7412 x 3500)
showing a White Pelican taking off past a swimming Cormorant
in the late morning at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in Los Angeles.

PelicanTakeoff_0151


Pelican Takeoff 0151

This takeoff is without a doubt among the most challenging sorts of action
sequences possible. The bird is going from areas of dark background to midtone
backgrounds and back again, and the subject is bright white in the morning sunlight.

PelicanTakeoff_0157


Pelican Takeoff 0157

PelicanTakeoff_0158


Pelican Takeoff 0158

A White Pelican hops across the surface of the pond to gain speed as it takes off in the late morning.

PelicanTakeoff_0160


Pelican Takeoff 0160

The only way to avoid overexposing the bird is to know beforehand what the proper
exposure for the bird will be, then manually select the aperture necessary to get
the look you want for the sequence and a shutter speed which will achieve
the correct exposure at that aperture. This avoids having the meter alter
the exposure as the bird occludes a darker or lighter background.

It is possible to spot-meter the bird, but if the metering reticle
hits a shadowed area or an area lighter than the one you used
to set the exposure compensation, the sequence will be ruined.
It is far better to pre-meter the subject and use the manual mode.

WhitePelicanTakeoff_SepulvedaWR_SXXL


White Pelican Takeoff Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge SXXL

A 1744 x 1200 version of the SXXL Composite (7412 x 5100) showing
a White Pelican taking off in the late morning at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
Pelicans_HerdingFish_1276


Pelicans Herding Fish 1276

Pelicans_HerdingFish_1279


Pelicans Herding Fish 1279

A group of White Pelicans fly low over the surface of the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge,
dragging their feet and tails to herd fish into the shallows in a cooperative feeding technique.

Pelicans_HerdingFish_1288


Pelicans Herding Fish 1288

White Pelicans use this cooperative technique to herd fish into a tight ball, then
they surface dive on the ball to grab as many fish as possible before they disperse.

Pelicans_HerdingFish_1289


Pelicans Herding Fish 1289

They fly close to the water and drag their feet, run or hop, splashing the surface to scare the fish.

Pelicans_HerdingFish_1292


Pelicans Herding Fish 1292

Pelicans_HerdingFish_1295


Pelicans Herding Fish 1295

Pelican_HerdingFish_1317


Pelican Herding Fish 1317

These shots were all taken at mid-day at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in late November.

GallopingPelican_1381


Galloping Pelican 1381

PelicanLanding_1387


Pelican Landing 1387

PelicanLanding_1394


Pelican Landing 1394

When the Pelicans land, they stick their feet in front of them and water-ski,
scooping air with their wings and dragging their tail in the water to slow down.

WhitePelican_0262


White Pelican 0262

WhitePelican_0263


White Pelican 0263

A White Pelican landing at the edge of the Gulf waters off Sanibel Island, Florida in late November.

WhitePelican_0266


White Pelican 0266

WhitePelican_0269


White Pelican 0269

PelicanLanding


Pelican Landing

A 1505 x 1425 composite of a White Pelican landing at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in November.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
Pelican_Head-on


Pelican head-on

A 1000 x 1364 composite of White Pelicans in head-on flight at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.
The upper shot was taken at mid-day in November, and the lower one at sunset in January.

Pelican_Head-on_0247-48


Pelican Head-on 0247, 0248

Note the subtle adjustments of the primary feathers and the head and neck
movements which the White Pelican uses to compensate for the shifting wind.

You may want to right click to open this image in a new (non-expanded) window.
If you adjust the window height to fit the upper image height, you can use the Page
Down and Page Up keys on your keyboard to switch from the upper to lower image.
You will be able to see the head, neck, shoulder and feather movements more easily.

PelicanFlight_0268


Pelican Flight 0268

A White Pelican in soaring flight on an overcast day at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in December.

PelicanFlight_0938


Pelican Flight 0938

A White Pelican in flight on a clear day at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in November.

WhitePelican_Sunset_X5633


White Pelican Sunset X5633

A White Pelican flies into the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge at sunset in mid-September.

Pelicans_SunsetLanding_X5629


Pelicans Sunset Landing X5629

White Pelicans landing in formation at sunset.

White_Pelican_Sunset_X5634


White Pelican Sunset X5634

Buzzing the tower before landing...

PelicanLanding_X5551


Pelican Landing X5551

White Pelicans landing in the late afternoon in September at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

WhitePelicans_Landing_X5554


White Pelicans Landing X5554

A group of their colleagues stand by to provide commentary on the landing technique.

WhitePelicans_X5556


White Pelicans X5556

Pelicans generally prefer to land on water, but this fellow dropped right in on a prime piece of real estate.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
WhitePelicans_X5483


White Pelicans X5483

WhitePelicans_X5484


White Pelicans X5484

A White Pelican enters the water off the island in the middle of the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

WhitePelican_Yawn_X5162-66


White Pelican Yawn X5162-5166

Pelicans and Cormorants stand on the island to socialize and evaluate
landing techniques of birds who want to join them. One bird seems bored.
With a bill this massive, you had to know that a yawn would be impressive.
In the sequence above, a White Pelican puts all of his energy into a yawn.

WhitePelican_Yawn_X5167


White Pelican Yawn X5167

The yawning Pelican looks like a cartoon with his bill extended straight up.

White Pelicans and Double-Crested Cormorants can often be seen together.

WhitePelican_X5373


White Pelican X5373

A White Pelican poses for a late afternoon portrait at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in September.

WhitePelicans_X5514


White Pelicans X5514

White Pelicans in the late afternoon at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

WhitePelicans_X5565


White Pelicans X5565

A group of White Pelicans patrolling back and forth across the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

WhitePelican_Sunset_X5608


White Pelican Sunset X5608

WhitePelican_Sunset_X5617


White Pelican Sunset X5617

A White Pelican swimming on the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in the low-angle light near sunset.

WhitePelican_Sunset_X5611


White Pelican Sunset X5611

A White Pelican in the dappled golden light of sunset at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Achieving an exposure which properly captures the light without overexposing the highlights
and losing feather detail or underexposing and losing color saturation can be quite challenging.

Pelican_Cormorants_X7573


Pelican Cormorants X7573

A White Pelican swims into the sunset with Cormorants at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in November.

WhitePelican_atSunset_X7575


White Pelican at Sunset X7575

A detail crop of a White Pelican at Sunset (resized from the master image).

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3

Pink-Backed Pelican

The Pink-Backed Pelican is smaller than the White or Brown Pelicans, and prefers shallow
water to the ocean. They typically reside in lakes and swamps of Africa and southern Arabia.

PinkBacked_Pelican_4892


Pink-Backed Pelican 4892

PinkBacked_Pelicans_4912


Pink-Backed Pelicans 4912

Pink-Backed_Pelican_HS1646


Pink-Backed Pelican HS1646

The Pink-Backed Pelican has a pink, mauve, cream and brown color scheme and a yellow tip on its bill.

PinkBacked_Pelican_5092


Pink-Backed Pelican 5092

PinkBacked_Pelican_HS3677


Pink-Backed Pelican HS3677

PinkBacked_Pelican_HS3641


Pink-Backed Pelican HS3641

Note the large, webbed feet of the Pink-Backed Pelican.

PinkBacked_Pelican_HS3633


Pink-Backed Pelican HS3633

PinkBacked_Pelican_HS3630detail


Pink-Backed Pelican HS3630 (detail)

Pink-Backed_Pelican_X1518


Pink-Backed Pelican X1518

Pink-Backed_Pelican_X1518detail


Pink-Backed Pelican X1518 (detail)

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in two different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Pelicans Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Brown Pelican
White Pelican

Sunburst3
GrEgret_copyright_clip