Pelican Pair Flying

by Morris Finkelstein

Title

Pelican Pair Flying

Artist

Morris Finkelstein

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large pelican that breeds in the interior lakes of North America and migrates along the Pacific coast to winter in California, Mexico and Central America. It measures about 62 inches in length and about 16.4 pounds in weight. It is tied with the Trumpeter Swan for the greatest length of any North American bird, and has the second greatest wingspan, after the California Condor! Its plumage is mostly white. Its bill is large with a throat sac underneath. The bill, sac, and bare skin around the eye are bright orange in breeding season. The American White Pelican doesn't dive for fish but catches its prey while swimming in groups and corralling prey. Besides eating fish, it also consumes amphibians and crustaceans.

This pair of American White Pelicans in synchronous flight overhead was photographed at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, in West Alton, Missouri on 4-26-2020. I used a Nikon D850 camera body and a Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF VR lens to capture this image. Settings: 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 900. This 3,700 acre sanctuary located on the Mississippi River watershed is managed jointly by the Audubon Center at Riverlands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. About 325 bird species have been reported at this site, which is on a major flyway for migratory birds.

I am honored that my photograph was featured in the Fine Art America groups:
FAA Portraits, 5-3-2020
FAA Portraits - Birds, 5-3-2020
Nikon Full Frame Cameras, 5-3-2020
Wildlife One-A-Day, 5-5-2020
Midwest America Photography, 5-11-2020
Coastal Water Birds - Shore Birds, 6-12-2020
Poetic Poultry, 6-19-2020
USA Photographers Only, 6-21-2020
A Birding Group - Wings, 10-29-2021

KEYWORDS: pelican pair flying, american white pelican, pelecanus erythrorhynchos, american white pelicans, pelican, pelicans, bird, birds, water bird, water birds, shore bird, shore birds, avian, nature, natural, wild, wildlife, outdoors, wings, feathers, plumage, white, black, large, huge, orange bill, flying, fly, flight, migratory, migration, coastal, river, sea, ocean, pond, water, two, pair, spring, midwest, midwestern, riverlands migratory bird sanctuary, mississippi river watershed, west alton, missouri, morris finkelstein, st. louis, missouri, photograph, digital, horizontal, close up, portrait, action, nikon d850, photography

Uploaded

May 1st, 2020

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