Tag Archives: American White Pelicans

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There is a flock of big American White Pelicans near the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner. Craig Tooley recently photographed one either just lifting off or coming in for a landing.

American White Pelican by Craig Tooley

We rarely see them on the Mendonoma Coast, though I just received a sighting of about twenty that flew by The Sea Ranch last Tuesday. Rick and I once saw two Am. White Pelicans flying over us while visiting the hamlet of Mendocino. They are BIG and very exciting to see!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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American White Pelicans often head to the coast to overwinter. A flock has been seen near the mouth of the Russian River. Richard Kuehn recently photographed one giving him the eye. The second photo was taken by Allen Vinson of a pair in Bodega Bay. That is followed by Siegfried Matull's photo of one coming in for a landing.

American White Pelican by Richard Kuehn American White Pelicans off Bodega Bay by Allen Vinson American White Pelicans by Siegfried Matull SONY DSC American White Pelicans by Janet Tervo

The second to last photo is by Jim Garlock and the last by Janet Tervo. These are huge birds with a wing span of 108 inches! They are usually silent away from their breeding grounds, which is inland and to the north.

Thanks to all the photographers for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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So much bigger than Brown Pelicans, American White Pelicans have been seen floating near the mouth of the Russian River. Janet Tervo recently photographed a flock.

American White Pelicans by Janet Tervo American White Pelicans by Siegfried Matull

The photo above was taken by Siegfried Matull, showing a White Pelican in flight.

To hear the sound of these birds, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_White_Pelican/sounds

American White Pelicans breed inland and travel to the coast to overwinter. It seems a little early for their appearance but the first of them have arrived.

Thanks to Janet and Siegfried for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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American White Pelicans, big white birds with black on the undersides of their wings, were seen at Bodgea Bay. Carolyn André had her camera and took this photo.

I sent Carolyn's photo to Richard Kuehn and he wrote, “Those are indeed American White Pelicans in the center with Double-crested Cormorants in the front near the river. We’ve had quite a few Double-crested Cormorants on Gualala Point Island recently, as they leave their primarily inland breeding locales and come to the coast in the Fall and Winter. And if you look in the upper left of the pelicans, there are a fair number of Terns.”

White Pelicans breed inland and it's always nice to see the first groups return to the Coast. They eat mainly fish. They don't plunge dive from the air like the Brown Pelicans; they dip their heads under the water to scoop up fish.

To hear the call of a White Pelican, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_white_pelican/sounds

Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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Beautiful American White Pelicans migrate from inland lakes and waterways to overwinter on the Coast. You are more likely to see some by the Russian River, though Rick and I once saw a pair fly over us in the town of Mendocino. Jim Garlock recently photographed some early arriving birds.

These Pelicans fish differently than Brown Pelicans. They sit on the surface of the water and lower their head to scoop up fish. Brown Pelicans dramatically plunge dive. American White Pelicans are graceful fliers, using thermals to help them on their way. You know it's autumn when these big birds arrive on the Coast.

Thanks to Jim for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see another photo of these birds, seen at Bodega Bay, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/09/28/bodega-bay-always-picturesque/