Brown Pelican Fly-By
I didn’t see this Brown Pelican coming from my left until it was right in front of me, full frame.
So close, I heard the wings flap with a ‘whoosh‘!
Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican
With a massive wingspan of 6.5 – 7 feet, these large birds are masterful flyers, flying at speeds up to 30 mph!
(Photos taken February 2020 at 10,000 Islands NWR, Everglades, Florida)
Photos by Donna 
Wow!
Thank you!
Nice Donna! It is amazing how such a large bird can be so agile in flight! They are fun to see flying!
Thank you, Reed! I’m amazed too, how do they do it??!!! š
Up close—-excellent!!
Thank you, Indira!!
Amazing images! š
Thanks so much, Irene! I was standing on a boardwalk. š
So close! It’s amazing you got the whole wingspan in the frame in the first image! I can almost hear that Whoosh!
Thank you, Deborah, it was that perfect moment of chance, I only took the two photos then watched it fly on. I wasn’t even sure if I got it in focus, I just stood there in awe of how close and hearing those massive wings beat. š
Ahhh the sound of large wings… magical on a silent day. Very nice shots.
Thank you, Ted! I just fired those two shots and then just stood there & watched it fly off, not even sure if I got a perfect focus. Hearing those wings is indeed magical, great way to describe it! š
Outstanding capture, especially for them being that close and flying so fast. Spot on photography!
Thank you, Carol! S/he was certainly a beauty to behold!
Very nice shots.
Thank you, David!
That must have been quite a shock! You did well to react so quickly and take those fabulous photos. š
Thank you, Mike! I was in awe with the experience and was in shock when I downloaded the photos seeing I nailed the two shots. ( I did one of my happy dances! š) š
Great capture Donna!
Thank you, Brian!
They are masters of flight, strong wings a good muscle to lift a large body and soar the sky. Great captures, Donna. š š
Thank you, HJ! They are a wonder! š
Your reflexes are terrific š. Tack sharp, beautiful results!
Thank you, Belinda! I was actually shocked I nailed the two shots when I downloaded them, I was tickled pink and happy dancing! š The whole experience was pretty wonderful.
Wonderful captures Donna, thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you very much! š
Wow, Donna, brilliant flight captures of the Pelican, so clear š
Thank you, Ashley! It was an awesome experience being so close!
Whoa! Almost 7 feet wide? Isn’t that longer than the largest Eagle?
The Brown Pelican is about the same wingspan as the Bald Eagle at 6 1/2′ to7′. However, the Golden Eagle is a solid 7′ wingspan. Still these are beaten in size by the White Pelican with it’s wingspan of 8-9′ nad the biggest is the California Condor at 10 1/2′! š
Oh my LORD. The Condor is big enough to be an airplane. Goodness… Learn something new everyday.
Perfect capture on the fly! š
Thank you, Sue! š
Wow! Amazing photos, Donna.
Thank you very much, Imorgana!
I can imazine your happy dance when you downloaded your photos! They are amazing!
Thank you, Minna! It was a cool experience all the way around! š
Great shots especially since you were almost caught unawares. Can we call you ever-ready??
Thank you, Gunta! I was hanging around on a boardwalk watching the marshes, RPRT! š
Your photography is just beautiful and very skillfully done! Can I ask what camera do you use most for wildlife shots like this?
Thank you very much! I’m presently using my Nikon D750 with my 70-200mm lens stacked with a 1.7x teleconverter. There’s a tab at the top of my blog “Me and My Gear” that lists all my equipment. š