Tag Archives: Brown Pelicans

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Tom Eckles wrote, “I was flying north towards home from Castle Rock [off the north end of Gualala] when I spotted them already flying. The drone elevation above the pelicans was approximately 400 feet.  My drone has three cameras which allows a safe distance without disturbing the critters. I followed for close to a mile at around 30 mph, when I checked.”  Here is a still photos from Tom's video.

At first Tom thought these were American White Pelicans, but experts looked at his photo and the video and determined they were Brown Pelicans lit by the sun.

Tom is very ethical in not wanting to disturb wildlife in any way, which I appreciate very much.

You can view Tom's mesmerizing video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU5_Fzu_7ME

And to see more of Tom's videos, here is a link to his youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@tomeckles

Warm and windy today - lots of white caps on the ocean!

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Craig Tooley recently spent some time photographing the birds on an offshore rock at The Sea Ranch. He found some Brown Pelicans in breeding plumage - yellow on the top of their white heads, and red skin on their throat patch. It certainly does seem early!

Those black birds are Brandt's Cormorants, and the dark brown bird is a juvenile Brandt's. At the very top of Craig's photo looks to be the bottom parts of a Western Gull. Nice to see everybody getting along!

Below is a video Craig took showing the pelicans preening themselves. They are resting on the journey southward.

I will miss their comings and goings during the winter months, and look forward to seeing them again in late spring.

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

A beautiful cool day here today. Fog rolled in over the ocean this afternoon and it's a sea of white. A storm is arriving early tomorrow.

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It's so fun to watch Brown Pelicans plunge-dive for fish. They hit the water beak first! Jon Shiu photographed this awesome sight.

With many Brown Pelicans here, along with Humpback Whales, some with their calves, the waters off the Mendonoma Coast are abundant with feed - the food chain in action.

Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photo with you here. Another of Jon's photos will be in tomorrow's Independent Coast Observer. It shows the gular pouch of a Brown Pelican. Don't miss it! What? You aren't a subscriber??? You can remedy that by going to the ICO's website and subscribing. https://www.mendonoma.com/

Drippy fog was what dawn revealed this morning. There is still a lot of fog this afternoon, but the sun is trying to break through. Temps are in the 60's. There is very little wind and the ocean looks calm from my vantage point!

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Phil Lewenthal photographed the multitudes of Brown Pelicans off Galleon's Reach.

And Barbara Johannes photographed a group resting on an offshore rock

Paul Brewer gets the prize for the most Brown Pelicans in a photo with this snapshot from the mouth of the Gualala River.

Many of us love these prehistoric-looking birds. To see them glide by, using the wind currents, makes our heart sing.

Thanks to Phil, Barbara and Paul for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's sunny and breezy today - lots of whitecaps on the ocean this afternoon.

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Juvenile Brown Pelicans have brown heads and white tummies - adults have white heads and dark tummies. The young ones appeared a little earlier than normal this spring. Michael Reinhart recently photographed these two.

On a nature walk with the 3rd grade class of Arena Elementary School this past Monday, we saw seven Brown Pelicans glide by in an undulating line. The children quickly counted them!

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

The June gloom continues. Not much wind, but it's pretty cool.