About a week ago, I saw a post on FaceBook, that migrating white pelicans were observed on the Fox River in Kane County. We drove an hour north of home and indeed did find them. While driving home, our neighbor texted that there were 3 pelicans on the lake behind our house at the Orchard Valley Golf Club in Aurora, IL. By the time we arrived home, they were just flying off.
Since the first sightings, there have been several days when the pelicans have returned to our lake and it has given me more time to try to get some good images. Other than the first day, the weather has been cloudy so although the light is flat with very little shadow, the color of the water and sky is a murky grey.
These two images were the ones on our lake leaving as I arrived…but it was a nice day with a great sky!
I was interested in learning about them so I called on Google for help and found this:
Late this evening, i looked out the back windows to see a large squadron (yes that is the term) of pelicans on the lake. As the light faded I had to keep increasing the ISO speed on my camera in order to capture any images. As I observed, I saw what could only be described as “Synchronized Fishing.”
The large group slowly paddled around the lake.
As a unit, they extended their long necks under water moving a few strokes.
Periodically you could see one swallowing a fish in the pouch beneath its bill. And this guy on the left had the catch of the day. This action was quite a distance from my camera and even with my longest lens it was a stretch to get a good image. You can also see the size of the wingspan. The information site listed above says the wingspan can be as long at 9 feet. Like I told my grandkids, we are sitting in a room that has an 8 ft ceiling so the pelican could not fit on edge in this room with its wings fully extended!
I don’t know how long they will continue to show up…I can only hope for a nice blue sky day again!