AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS FROM THE ARCHIVES

I am going back to January 2014 for this post and probably the first time I ever saw white pelicans. 

These were taken at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida, 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. I don’t see any bands on their legs, so are assuming they are wild.

 I read that those bumps on their beaks appear on both male and female pelicans during breeding season, but once breeding season is over they fall off. These make them more attractive to prospective mates and it is called a nuptial tubercle. The photo below has two white ibis sharing the log with them.

Here are a few more facts. 

White pelicans have one of the largest wingspans of any North American bird at 9 feet.

White pelicans sometimes work together to herd fish to more shallow water where they can feast on them more easily.  

From the time an egg hatches until the bird leaves its nest and becomes independent, the parents provide 150 pounds of food.

White pelicans are pretty accomplished thieves, stealing from other pelicans and cormorants so they don’t have to do the work themselves.

They breed on islands in shallow wetlands with many other birds, including other white pelicans and also cormorants.

Unlike brown pelicans that fly high above the water and then dive down into the water to catch their prey, white pelicans get their body weight by feeding from the water surface, dipping their beaks into the water to snag fish and other aquatic animals.

White pelicans are one of the heaviest flying bird in the world. An average white pelican weighs between 7 to 20 pounds. 

Females lay 1 to 3 eggs in a slight depression in the ground. Both the male and female will incubate the eggs - not the other way other birds do, but with their giant orange feet. Eggs hatch in about a month and usually, only one will survive to leave the nest. Chicks leave the nest - fledge - when they are about 10 weeks old.

Except for the fact that males are slightly larger than females, the two appear identical. 

Thanks for looking and I hope you all have a happy Thursday. 

SOME KIND OF BIRD BALLET - AN OLD ONE PUT HOPEFULLY WORTH REPEATING

All photos were taken at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Wildlife State Park in Florida, which you can find here. It was a lot of fun to see all these beautiful birds, many that are wild and fly in just for feeding time, or as the lady with the bucket of fish said quite seriously, "We try to keep the moochers from stealing all the food."  

One of our stars is the Great White Heron, along with a chorus of all White Ibises.

Jumping into the arms of her prince - again - a White Ibis.

The Wood Stork is definitely a diva!

Next the Anhinga...

and the same bird below displaying her perfect form.

Waiting in the wings, a Barred Owl.

A lovely ballet pose displayed by the Wood Stork.

A Mute Swan stretching her toes and getting ready to jump in.

Our White Ibis, posing for the cameras backstage.

 She decided to give the paparazzi her back view. Sometimes she gets so tired of being followed around all day, having her photograph taken.

The Brown Pelican is a little late for her cue.



The Red-shouldered Hawk was very vocal. Well... you sometimes get a heckler in the audience.

The Crested Caracara was wearing a beautiful costume. Brava my dear, brava!

The Black-crowned Night Heron, who flew over the stage, needed no wires and was a complete blur.

The White Pelicans are about to make their entrance.

But finally, another performance is over. The Mute and Black Swans are relieved that all went well. No one tripped over their tutu. It is time to take a well-deserved rest.

That’s the end of our Bird Ballet.

Thanks so much for taking your seat and I wish you all a wonderful day.