Pelicans

We don't get to see White Pelicans all that often here on the Vancouver Coast, so having this one around for a couple of days was a bonus. This guy was resting on the beach at Iona Island for a couple days and I was lucky enough to grab some photos. The group of White Pelicans that use BC as their nesting range have not always done so well. Pelicans are very easily spooked from their nesting sites and because there are only two lakes in all of BC that they nest, one event can be devastating for that year's young. It is nice to see more of these magnificent birds and very good to hear that their numbers here have tripled since the 1980's. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
White Pelican - Richmond, BC
American White Pelicans - Quilchena, BC An early morning drive along Nicola Lake provided an excellent surprise look at some rare summer residents. They were certainly on their way south at the only two breeding populations of White Pelicans in BC is found in the western Cariboo region near Williams Lake. These majestic birds with their extremely funny beaks are a bit of an oddity dipping their heads into the lake with out a splash and scooping up pouch fulls of fish. The Black wing markings that are hardly visible here are amazing to see in flight. The dark wings of the rear bird are the remnants of the baby feathers from being a born this year. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
American White Pelicans - Quilchena, BC
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Brown Pelican - San Diego, CA