Brown Pelicans On The Wing

I’ve been working on the challenge of Brown Pelicans in flight. Here’s some of my favorites from the last few weeks.

Brown Pelicans, the smallest of all Pelican species, weigh approximately 8 pounds, have a wingspan of almost 7 feet, and live up to 40 years.

It was 37 to 65 million years ago during the Paleocene and Eocene periods when birds first took to the air. Scientists have concluded Pelicans were there during that time period. It is documented that the pelican’s fossil record has barely changed in 30 to 40 million years.

Many people commonly mistake the Pterodactyl as a relative of the Pelican species but this is not true; the Pterodactyl was a flying reptile so it never developed feathers, the important ingredient to becoming a bird.

I’ve enjoyed photographing the local Brown Pelicans in great length. More on profiles and dives to follow….

Tags: bird, birder, birding, birdwatching, brown pelican, flight, image, Murrells Inlet, nature, pelican, photo, photographs, photography, photos, South Carolina, wings, wingspan

58 thoughts on “Brown Pelicans On The Wing”

avian101 on 02/25/2018 at 8:48 PM said:

Excellent shots of the big birds! Good work Donna! 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/25/2018 at 9:33 PM said:
  
  Thank you HJ! 🙂
  
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cindy knoke on 02/25/2018 at 9:00 PM said:

Fabulous captures!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/25/2018 at 9:34 PM said:
  
  Thank you Cindy! 🙂
  
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montucky on 02/25/2018 at 9:05 PM said:

Wow, what exceptional photos!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/25/2018 at 9:34 PM said:
  
  Thank you Terry! 🙂
  
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Ingrid on 02/25/2018 at 10:03 PM said:

Wonderful job capturing these guys in flight. I know how challenging it can be. Interesting info on the birds. I did not know they lived that long. Great post!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/25/2018 at 10:10 PM said:
  
  Thanks Ingrid! I have been having a lot of fun with them. 🙂
  
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tanjabrittonwriter on 02/25/2018 at 10:21 PM said:

Your work has paid off, Donna 😊. Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos. So far, I have only seen white pelicans, will need to travel to find the brown variety.
Best,
Tanja

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 7:42 AM said:
  
  Thanks Tanja! I’ve seen/photographed White Pelicans but they have always been at a distance. They are gorgeous! 🙂
  
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  - tanjabrittonwriter on 02/26/2018 at 7:28 PM said:
    
    I agree. When I saw my first White Pelican on a lake in Colorado, I thought I was dreaming. Up until that point, I had no idea they existed in the middle of the country. Now I see them every summer, but they still thrill me.
    
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Gunta on 02/25/2018 at 10:32 PM said:

Amazing series of flying Pelican shots. They certainly look prehistoric.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 7:43 AM said:
  
  Thanks Gunta, they do have that awkward, comical look that doesn’t seem the norm for today’s birds. 🙂
  
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Susan Hale on 02/25/2018 at 10:49 PM said:

Donna, these are wonderful! I love the detail in all the photos – individual and groups! You must have really enjoyed watching and ‘capturing’ all these amazing birds!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 7:44 AM said:
  
  Thanks Susan, Brown Pelicans abound around the SC coast, so I have lots of practicing opportunities. 🙂
  
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Steve Talabac on 02/25/2018 at 11:29 PM said:

Great flight captures Donna. Whenever we visited Sanibel Island on the FL Gulf Coast I would love to photograph the pelicans gliding just a few feet above the water, or twist/contort their bodies at higher altitudes, tuck in their wings, and dive headlong into the water for fish… and then start to gather take-off speed with their webbed feet across the water’s surface to be able to create enough lift to get airborne once more.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 7:45 AM said:
  
  Thanks Steve! They are quite flexible being so gawky. They are great practice when perched, but their dive has been quite challenging. 🙂
  
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  - Steve Talabac on 02/26/2018 at 11:27 PM said:
    
    I agree … their sudden mid-air twist/dive can be tough to anticipate. I watch their head motion to see if something may have caught their attention and start to track and shoot just in case that’s the moment they may dive. Nonetheless there’s certainly an element of luck in capturing that moment and tracking them all the way (in focus) down to the water and impact… capturing their fast dive takes lots of practice. And needless to say, you’ve never seen the many missed or out-of-sharp-focus shots that I’ve made… those bits got recycled! 😀
    
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blhphotoblog on 02/26/2018 at 4:29 AM said:

Superb set Donna, well caught.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 7:47 AM said:
  
  Thanks David, they are fun and entertaining! 🙂
  
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neihtn2012 on 02/26/2018 at 7:35 AM said:

Donna, these are the best I have seen of Brown Pelicans!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 7:47 AM said:
  
  Thanks Hien, I am glad you enjoyed them! They are much fun for sure!
  
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Ellen Jennings on 02/26/2018 at 8:46 AM said:

Very nice work! I especially like the group flying shots. These are fun birds to watch.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 12:53 PM said:
  
  Thanks Ellen! I like the group flight shots too, the bright blue water was a plus. 🙂
  
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Tuxedo Sophisticated Cat on 02/26/2018 at 11:21 AM said:

Beautiful photos, Donna.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 12:57 PM said:
  
  Thank you Maralee
  
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Anonymous on 02/26/2018 at 1:17 PM said:

Not bad at all, and you did pretty well. Try the challenge of Hummingbirds when you can.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 8:51 PM said:
  
  Thanks! Several years ago I got the chance to photograph Hummers visiting my feeder. They are indeed a fun challenge!
  
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Cornell on 02/26/2018 at 1:39 PM said:

In my opinion, pelicans are not such beautiful birds, but they do have very expressive eyes.
You have taken beautiful photos.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 8:52 PM said:
  
  Thanks Cornell, they are a gawky, comical looking bird. 🙂
  
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tootlepedal on 02/26/2018 at 5:41 PM said:

Your work has really paid off. Thank you for such a wonderful gallery.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 8:56 PM said:
  
  Thank you Tom!
  
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Chris Riley on 02/26/2018 at 6:04 PM said:

I didn’t know there were more species of pelicans other than the white ones here in Australia. Great pics.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/26/2018 at 9:01 PM said:
  
  Thanks Chris! There are actually eight species of Pelicans around the world. In the U.S., we have the Brown Pelican and the American White Pelican. In Australia you have the Australian White Pelican which is a bit different from ours. I think the White Pelicans are the most beautiful of them all. 🙂
  
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belindagroverphotography on 02/26/2018 at 9:12 PM said:

Marvellous photos!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/27/2018 at 2:39 PM said:
  
  Thanks Belinda!
  
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thelocals2016 on 02/27/2018 at 3:10 AM said:

Pelicans are wonderful big birds!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/27/2018 at 2:40 PM said:
  
  Thanks, they are!
  
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Jane Lurie on 02/28/2018 at 12:48 AM said:

Wonderful series of Pelican images, Donna. All beautifully shot– I did smile at the black and white…he seems to be saying,”Ta Da!” Great post- thanks.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/28/2018 at 8:30 AM said:
  
  Thank you Jane! They are so comical and awkward looking at times, yet still uniquely beautiful. I love your “Ta Da” comment, it fits perfectly with the photo. 🙂
  
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dhphotosite on 02/28/2018 at 9:03 AM said:

Donna, your photos are fantastic!!!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/28/2018 at 6:08 PM said:
  
  Thank you David, nice to see you again! 🙂
  
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Jet Eliot on 02/28/2018 at 9:53 AM said:

I loved seeing the beautiful brown pelican here, Donna — such a variety of creative poses and photos, all highlighting the beauty of this special bird. Enjoyed the narrative too. I especially like that first photo with the shadow of the long, pointy bill on the pelican’s own wing.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/28/2018 at 6:13 PM said:
  
  Thanks Jet, they are a fun to photo their unique qualities. This is the first I’ve been able to spend many days watching them for long periods of time. They are qawky, yet comical, and can provide a lot of entertainment! 🙂
  
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Eddie Two Hawks on 02/28/2018 at 11:12 AM said:

all of your photos are really quite amazing,
they tell a story all their own,
a great presentation

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/28/2018 at 6:14 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Eddie, they are a unique-looking bird, and fun to photograph. 🙂
  
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Lisa Rest on 02/28/2018 at 3:36 PM said:

Absolutely gorgeous. I love Brown Pelicans. They seem so elegantly comfortable whether they’re in the air, the water, or sitting on a boat… Looking forward to the dives!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/28/2018 at 6:16 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Lisa, I agree. You’d think their gawkiness would be real but they do have an elegant grace about them! 🙂
  
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circadianreflections on 03/02/2018 at 4:45 PM said:

Oooh! I love the images with the blurred wings. I love the sense of motion and flight it lends the images.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 03/02/2018 at 5:35 PM said:
  
  Thank you Deborah! 🙂
  
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  - circadianreflections on 03/02/2018 at 5:35 PM said:
    
    YW! 🙂
    
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mdhoffmannphoto on 03/02/2018 at 9:13 PM said:

Great “In-flight” photos – so sharp! What lens do you use for these and what is your shutter speed. I find I need at least 1/1600 sec using a 280mm lens for some of my in-flight shots – Canada Geese, Eagles and Seagulls – but it is still tricky to follow and hope the camera autofocus is quick enough.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 03/02/2018 at 10:19 PM said:
  
  Thanks Michael! For these and most photos I hand-hold using a Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens with a 1.7x teleconverter. These photos ranged from 1/250 sec to 1/1250 sec. Yes, the hardest part is locking on the bird and staying with it with hopes the autofocus stays on it too. 🙂
  
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  - mdhoffmannphoto on 03/03/2018 at 2:08 AM said:
    
    Great! Looks like you’ve got the “touch”!
    
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aussiebirder on 03/04/2018 at 6:19 AM said:

More stunning beautiful shots wonderfully showcasing your amazing pelican Donna! well presented!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 03/08/2018 at 7:07 PM said:
  
  Thank you very much, Ashley! They have been a lot of fun! 🙂
  
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spugwash on 03/05/2018 at 10:30 AM said:

Very nice shots.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 03/08/2018 at 7:11 PM said:
  
  Thank you Spugwash 🙂
  
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