American White Pelican

[xcalibur]

Went on a safari to Goose Pond near Linton, IN on 3/25. The Sandhills seem to all be gone but I did observe about 6 or 8 dozen White Pelicans. These guys are fun to watch while they feed in groups. Here is a shot of a loner on a muskrat mound taking a rest. Still lots of ducks in the area.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

nice pic. there's a group that summers about 5 minutes from my house, in lasalle fwa. i've seen them, but never when i've had a camera. i plan on making an effort this summer to catch them on camera. also, it looks like you've got a drake shoveler in the background.

 

[Rock River]

Nice pic! I saw a group of Sandhills flying high over Indy a few weeks ago, they are amazing to see. I haven't seen pelicans here before so I'll have to add it to my list.

 

[shooter521]

That's a nice pic!

The regular waterfowl count @ GPFWA put in excess of 500 American White Pelicans on the property as of last week; the ones you saw were just a smaller part of the much bigger flock that is currently hanging out there (they can usually be found in units GP9 and 10). GPFWA is my favorite birding spot in the whole state. I was there a few weeks ago and took some pictures:

 

[xcalibur]

What I found interesting is the flight pattern they formed right before landing. They lined up like a roller coaster and flew in what I would describe as an up and down vertical serpentine motion. I managed to get a couple quick shots from afar before they landed. The entire flock doesn't show in the pic, but there were about 5 peaks and lows in the pattern.