We were at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, link here.
A lot of the birds are wild and tend to fly into the park in droves when it is feeding time for the resident birds.
One of the ladies who worked there told me this, as I watched her throw fish from a big bucket to the resident birds. She was mostly accurate but if a bird was too slow and her aim was an inch off and splashed into the water, one of the happy visitors was able to grab a morsel or two.
The American White Pelican is indigenous to North America, but the earliest pelican fossil on record is 30 million years' old when a skull was found in France.
The bump on its beak appears on both male and female pelicans during breeding season, but once breeding season is over it disappears. Their breeding season lasts from late March to early May.
You can learn more about them at this link.
Thanks for dropping by
and have a great weekend.
I was surprised to read that these are Pelicans! The beak bump is so interesting, that is the second thing I wanted to know about. Great pictures, and I liked learning about this place.
ReplyDeleteHi Ginny and thank you, so glad :) I have never seen them except in Florida but I know you can get them in other places. I don't know anything about their migration.
DeleteI adore pelicans. Thank you for showing me these which are quite different to our pelicans.
ReplyDeleteMe too EC :) You are very welcome. Your pelicans are very striking with those white and black feathers.
DeleteThey are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret :)
DeleteHello, Denise
ReplyDeleteAwesome shots of the White Pelicans. They are beautiful, one of my many favorite birds. Enjoy your day, have a great weekend!
Hello Eileen, thank you. I agree, they are beautiful and a favorite bird of mine also :) You have a great day and great weekend also.
DeleteWe do get white pelicans here but they're pretty rare I've only seen maybe five or six. We have tons of brown pelicans and then one year we had like flocks of white pelicans but then they left did not know about the bump
ReplyDeleteI remember the brown pelicans. Love those birds! :) Thanks Sandra!
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rue :)
Deletethese pelicans migrate to our area about December to January... wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing beautiful photos of pelicans.
Have a great day
Interesting Tanza, thank you for that information :) You are very welcome, so glad you enjoyed. Have a great day also!
DeletePelicans are a very elegant bird. I like to watch them fly.
ReplyDeleteThanks Red, I love to watch them fly also :) I have seen them at the beach 200 miles south of here. They always seem to fly in a line low across the water.
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine :)
DeleteAwesome bird.
ReplyDeleteThey are, I agree :) Thanks Anne!
DeleteWhat wonderful captures Denise, they are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha, they certainly are :)
DeleteBeautiful white pelicans. I was in Orlando and Miami years ago but did not see any.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gigi, hopefully you will get to see them one day :)
DeleteHi Denise,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful Pelican, the white version is really stunning, super series of images, the lump on the beak is another fascinating feature.
You and yours stay safe and well.
John
Thank you John, it is a very interesting and a beautiful bird. You all stay safe and well also :)
DeleteSo a beak erection? LOL. These are really wonderful photos, D!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cloudia and even at my age I am blushing :)
DeleteI love these shots...love pelicans.
ReplyDeleteThey are a fun bird aren't they Rose? I love them too :)
DeleteThey seem so ungainly, but they're quite photogenic.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree William :)
Delete