Bay Photos by Donna

I hope everyone is staying warm through Winter Storm Fern!

I thought I’d jump back in with a surely unique, prehistoric-looking bird to share. 😃

Whether brown or white, we are seeing more and more sightings of pelicans around the Chesapeake Bay.

American White Pelicans continue to arrive each winter at Blackwater NWR.  Couple weeks ago I scoped/counted 148 on Blackwater River.  I was standing alongside the refuge’s official counter and he counted 161.  It was great to see a few not too far out for some photos.

American White Pelicans

For the Brown Pelican, we continue to see the occasional fly-by as they spend more time coming up to the mid-section of the Chesapeake Bay through the summer.

This past September, it was real exciting to come upon a pod of 32 Brown Pelicans resting on bay riprap with a few Double-crested Cormorants mixed in!

Brown Pelicans

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Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants
Hoopers Island Lighthouse is in the background

A side note:  State of Maryland sold Hoopers Island Lighthouse (above) in 2022 for $192,000 to a guy from Pennsylvania.  He now owns three lighthouses on the Chesapeake Bay and is restoring them for future educational purposes.

If you love lighthouses and their restorations, you might enjoy his website, The Lighthouse Centers at https://www.thelighthousecenters.org.

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