It was too cold and windy on the lake for the pelicans today.
(http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/3950/img1760ae5.th.jpg) (http://img398.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1760ae5.jpg)
Geoff, wow!!! What a beautiful picture. I have never seen pelicans in real life ever, I bet they are something to behold. Do they make alot of noise? With such a big bill I bet they could really make a hoot and a hollar. Thank you for taking us into this part of your winter world. Have the most beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi
Just in the water behind the front lot of birds Cindi is tree stump on which the Lapwing Plovers are nesting. As soon as the pelicans hit the water they are being straffed by the plovers and it is a sight to see the pelicans snapping at them with their big bills. I am just waiting for the day when a plover finishes up in the bill of a pelican.
Geoff how cool! I didn't know pelicans went to fresh water, saw lilypads in the corner of the pic so it is fresh, or brackish? Cindi, all the ones I have seen are pretty big birds, bigger than geese, are these large too Geoff? Amazing the world of nature! Thank you for giving us a glimpse into another world. Jody
Yes Jody the pelican is a goose sized bird and feeds on both fresh and salt water sites. They are attracted to this water which is about 40 degrees centigrade all year round and is home to different exotic tropical fish species that someone unknown introduced some years ago.
This area in our property is a backwater to the 2000 acre cooling pond for the Hazelwood Power Station ( very visible on Google Earth) and is also the home to egrets,cranes,spoonbills, cormorants,shags,coots,water hens and a couple of varieties of shore runners. Of course this variety of birdlife also invites the different raptors like wedgetail eagles , little eagles, and falcons etc..
They are certainly water lillies in the corner but it is only a small area of a large crop which has grown from only a few tubers many years ago
Even here in N. America, I am pretty sure that pelicans (not all varieties) migrate north for the year. I haven't seen them in Lake Michigan, but I do remember seeing a flock of them in the middle of Iowa, of all places!
Rick
The pelicans do migrate we have some that return to the LSU lakes everyyear by the thousands. you can watch them line up and push the fish to the banks and gorge themselves on baitfish its neat to watch them( these are the white pelicans) we also have brown pelicans which is the state bird of Louisiana I don't think they migrate though. In the winter the pelicans white ones circle way up in the air and follow the Mississippi river down the state really something to see
Keith