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That's
me on a trail (an old picture from today's (8/14/2015) perspective. I'm
interested in most animals. But there are a few creatures that can
capture all
of my attention
when they appear. Pelicans are one of them.
When I see a flock of them fly by (or even just one), I feel
as
if transported back to an earlier epoch. Since I've been able to visit
the
coastal ecology on occasion, I've been able to see the pelicans.
I've captured video and photos of pelicans over the years,
and
I'll be placing some of them here. Older material will be
lower on the
page. I hope visitors to this page enjoy the videos as much
as I
do.
During
one of my many visits to the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS),
I viewed the new (at the time) Coastal Ecology display. Among
the
information there was a
description of the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus
occidentalis); and its history in Texas. I was surprised to learn that
the population of Brown Pelicans had declined greatly, but had
recovered. I have since found more information on the
internet
such as: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/bpelican/
and http://www.esasuccess.org/birds.shtml
and a pdf
here
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013_eastern_brown_pelican.pdf
.
An early threat to Brown Pelicans (and probably others as well)
was from fishermen starting in the 1920s and 1930s. Fishermen killed
pelicans to stop them from eating too many fish.
Scientific
study found this concept invalid (Logically it made no sense. If there
were thousands of pelicans in the first place, and they were a massive
threat to fish--then why were there
still so many fish? That argument can be made for just about any
species. If species "X" is a threat to the environment, then why were
species "X" and the environment doing ok before
humans decided to take a look?) Later threats included "harvesting" of
pelicans for their feathers (used for fashion). But the worst threat
came near the 1940's with the use of DDT.
Pelicans were among
the avian apex predators that were affected by the introduction of DDT
into the environment. With every step up the food chain,
contaminents in the environment
become more concentrated.
Pelicans suffered, and could not reproduce.
By the years 1967 -1974, there were only 10 breeding pairs of Pelicans
in the entire state of Texas. Just TEN!! IN ALL
OF TEXAS!! Near the time I was in high school,
Pelicans almost
disappeared from Texas...and maybe from everywhere else. But
laws
were passed, and protections put into place, and now there are
thousands of pelicans in Texas skies again. That
is WONDERFUL.
So-after 7/3/2015-I've taken an occasional road trip to go
watch
pelicans--just because I can; because they could have been wiped out 40
years ago, and I wouldn't
be seeing them now. I'm sharing pictures and
video clips on this page so folks who can't visit pelicans can see them
here. Actually...
that's why I've shared most of the items on my website. (additional note 01/26/2024):
In December 2012, I discovered that American White Pelicans (Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos)
were
spending winters at Fiorenza Park, which is much closer to were I live.
So I've been able to watch them, as well. They're on this page, too.
01/20/2024
I went to Fiorenza Park, because it was sunny, and I wanted to see if
there were any effects from the recent cold weather. I didn't stay for
long,
because it was still pretty cold. But there are always birds there, and
of course, possibly Bald Eagles. No Eagles on this day,
though.
A couple American White Pelicans Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos were leisurely working the shoreline close
to the low bridge. I saw them dip their beaks into the water, do a
slow
probe or two, then come back up. I assumed they were trying to catch
fish--especially Armored Catfish--that might have been stunned by the
cold water. I shot a few
photo bursts, and a few video clips. I caught a very
interesting sequence.
It's
possible to tell when a Pelican has caught something after it has
dipped because there will usually be manipulation and
swallowing
movements. Light, focus were
just
right when the Pelican turned towards me! We can see that it
had
caught an Armored Catfish (probably Pterygoplicthys or Hypostomus ).
The fish didn't seem to have
extended its spines, but the Pelican
tossed it around a bit anyway. When it did, we can see the wonderful
expansion of its bottom jaw (lower beak)!
The
Pelican juggled the Armored catfish a few times (as almost all the
birds that catch them do). Then it finally swallowed the fish. There is
video, which I may upload later.
As I edited these images, this
limerick popped into mind. I had to go online to verify the source, and
found that it is also in public domain. So...here it is:
The Pelican by Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1913
"A
wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than
his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I'm damned if I see how
the helican!"
From
Fiorenza Park on 01/14/2022.
I really enjoy seeing the American White Pelicans (I just
call them
White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)) at the park. The
sight
of a raft of 20 or more swimming in formation with a mass of Cormorants
(mostly Neotropic (?) Nannopterum brasilianum) is really something.
They were at work today, and I tried to
capture burst photos of
the birds. This time, I think I got really lucky and picked
the
right Pelican as it took off. Its flight path, the burst mode
setting, and a bunch of other elements gave me
68 really nice high
resolution shots as the pelican left the water. Since the
mechanics of bird flight interests me, I'm going to share some of the
pictures here, along with a lower-res
anigif (320 x 240) of the entire series. I made the anigif
smaller so it would load easier. I always post
smaller images than the originals here for similar reasons. I
pressed the shutter when
I noticed the pelican starting its take-off,
so I missed the very first push. Pic 1-- the wings starting
to
fold as the legs begin to come forward. Pic 2-wings fold more to
prepare for lifting up
while
legs continue moving forward. Pic
3-legs have moved under and feet are a bit forward as wings continue
up. Pic 4-feet have broken the surface of the water as wings
begin to
straighten up.
Pic 5--Feet
start back "double-paddle" thrust; wings are fully extended and lifted,
ready to push down for thrust.
Pic 6 wings are pushing down (angled a bit, too) for lift and
forward thrust;
while
the legs are straightened for double-paddle forward. Pic
7--continuation of both wing and leg thrust . Pic 8-- Double-paddle
completed as feet leave the water, while wings have completed
the
down stroke. Look at that! Legs out and wings flat
across--same position is repeated in Pic 16. ( I'm guessing at the
mechanics here.)
Pics 9 -12
--the cycle repeats, as the distance between the Pelican and the water
increases.
Pics
13 -16 --the cycle repeats, as the distance between the Pelican and the
water increases. The timing of the camera burst with this was cycle was
wonderful! At first glance it seems like
I've just posted 8 pictures twice--but they are NOT the same images.
And of course, the anigif below shows all 68.
The
anigif below shows the entire sequence. Notice that with each
double-paddle/wingflap down cycle, the length of exposed legs in the
water gets longer as the pelican gains altitude.
What a magnificent
sight! And what's even better, is that I've been able
to
see these birds take off many, many times over the last few years.
02/20/2021 A
few days after the Big February Freeze of Texas, I was out
at Fiorenza Park North again, It's not too far from
home. I
spent some time watching the American White
Pelicans, and
I was able to capture high-speed video clips of two of them landing.
I'd been wanting to capture that footage, and I finally had
two
examples 10 minutes apart. If you
watch the video, which I
have slowed 8 times, you'll be ableto see that "water-ski" landing.
It looks like fun! The two images below are frames
from the
video. So, there's
a two-minute
video here (mp4).
Coming in for a hydroplane landing.
Take
off, quick landing, dip and grab
01/09/2021
I've
been going to Fiorenza park more often lately. It's not too far from my
home (about 20 minutes' drive) and very few people are there when I am.
As usual for
the winter months, many White Pelicans and
Cormorants appear there. I really enjoy seeing them forage
together in large rafts, and have taken a number of photos and
video
clips over the last few weeks. I've
chosen to post what I saw today (January 9th) because I captured some
unusual footage. The images below a beautiful White
Pelican flying
over, and then some long views of the opposite side of one of the
lakes (about 230 meters (761 ft) away from where I was standing, and
the fleet of
Cormorants and Pelicans as they swam across from there.
12/21/2020 Since
this March of 2020, I've been limiting exposure to crowds of
people--because of Covid19 protocols, of course. One of the biggest
reasons I was limiting my exposure was
so I wouldn't contract the disease, and then bring it to my workplace. Regardless of how my
co-workers might live outside of work, I
didn't want to be the one who got infected, and caused
any
disruptions for my friends and coworkers there. About a week
ago,
this extra reason for vigilance became unnecessary--because I don't
work
there any more. While this may allow a bit
more freedom
(at least until I find other employment), I still have to be
careful. So, I'm not sure if I'll be going out more often. It is still
best to stay home. But I have been able to get outside
the
entire time, and have avoided groups of people. Today, I
visited
Archbishop Fiorenza Park again. It was a beautiful day!! Here a few
pictures from that trip.
Cormorants and
White Pelicans
Cormorants
and White
Pelicans
closer
White
Pelicans and Cormorants even closer
Nutria
Swimming By
01/02/2017
I
like to watch pelicans. White pelicans are very large. Pelicans usually
catch fish. Brown pelicans often dive from quite high, and then surface
with their catch (if successful).
Much larger White pelicans don't
dive like this, but paddle along, and then dip down with their beaks to
catch prey. But, to increase their chances of success White pelicans
"group feed".
That is, they form groups to herd schools of fish into
concentrated schools which they can exploit. I found a study
on
this behavior: "Foraging Behavior of the American White
Pelican
(Pelecanus erythrorhyncos)in Western Nevada, by John G.T. Anderson
1991" This had the most detail about what I watched on
1/2/2017. I was at Fiorenza park again. On
previous visits,
I've seen White pelicans off in the distance, and also
have seen them fly over me. Today, I was able to watch them
group-feeding, and I followed them for a few hours as they
moved
back-and-forth across the lake. Occasionally, they moved a bit closer,
and then I filmed what I could. Along with the White
pelicans,
there wasa great mob of cormorants. Most references
that I could
find of cormorants foraging with White pelicans identify the cormorants
as Double-Crested cormorants...so I'm going to guess that's what I saw
here. I can't pick out the white
outlines around the rear of the beak
on these cormorants that I can see on Neotropic cormorants.
At
Fiorenza park on January 2nd, 2017, I watched the pelicans at
work. These were
relatively small foraging groups (maybe about 5
or 10 pelicans--but many cormorants) which works best according to the
study. But at first there was a large group of 40 or so. The movement
of the pelicans drives the fish, and when one starts to "dunk" for
fish, then others follow suit. This is because the fish will disperse
when pelicans start trying to grab them (according to the
study). But I
saw the cormorants diving around and through the formation of pelicans
all the time (which seems to refute the previous statement about fish
dispersal). After a few minutes of the
pelicans dipping, most of the
mass of cormorants would take off to another part of the lake. The
pelicans might fly a short distance, or paddle some distance, and then
they'd start swimming
in formation again. Eventually the mass of
cormorants would join them, and the process was repeated.
This is
similar to the behavior described in the study, though the environment
was a bit
different. For instance, I didn't see the pelicans herd prey
into shallows. The images below are just 4 random photos I
shot
of the birds at work that day.
There
was so much going on in the midst of the group that it was hard to pick
out any single event. So...I just snapped a few images, and shot some
video clips when I thought the pelicans
were actually foraging. I shot some high framerate footage to try to
clarify some of the activity. The edited footage is here
. I really enjoyed watching all this. The study (and other sources)
refer
to occasional kleptoparasitism by the White pelicans--since they
steal food from the cormorants and from each other. In the slow motion
clips (each of which represent 2 seconds of "actual
time" slowed down),
I've caught a few unsuccesful attempts at theft by the
pelicans.
I think I also found where a pelican had a cormorant trapped inside its
beak. That is also in the same
video clip.
I guess that perhaps the pelican and the cormorant went for the same
fish; or that the cormorant tried to steal a fish from the
pelican--which then just grabbed the cormorant. But, at
the beginning,
the other pelicans are clustered around the pelican with the trapped
comorant in what appears to be attempts at stealing it from the
pelican--or stealing my hypothetical fish from
the cormorant inside the
pelican's beak. It also looks like the pelicans are engaging in some
kind of "thuggery" and smacking the cormorant around. But of course,
that doesn't seem likely. In
any case, I couldn't tell what eventually
happened to the trapped cormorant amidst all the activity. The images
below are frame grabs from the video that illustrate what I'm talking
about.
01 5 PELICANS
GRABBING SOMETHING
O2 5 PELICANS
LIFTING SOMETHING
O3 5 PELICANS HAVE A
CORMORANT!
O4 5 CORMORANT IS IN
THE POUCH
O5 5 CORMORANT TAIL
SHOWS FROM POUCH
O6 5 CORMORANT IS
STILL IN THE POUCH
O7 5 LOADED PELICAN
TRYING TO FLY?
O8 5 LAST GLIMPSE OF
THE CORMORANT
08/13/2015--
Quintana, Texas. I was able to shoot some video at
210fps. This time, I captured some clips of pelicans diving.
A
search of the internet produced a very interesting paper:
"Prey
capture by the Brown Pelican", by SCHREIBERR, . W., G. E. WOOLFENDENA,
ND W. E. CURTSINGER. 1975 I found it here. It
describes what happens while the pelican dives.
The images below
only show the entry into the water. They are frames from the
video
clip here(mp4) . The
clips also
show what happens after the dive. There are images of what happens
underwater shown in the study. Here is a description, taken
from
the study above: 1)
head pulled back over shoulders and bend wings 2) head is kept stable for
sighting down bill at target
3) keeping wings
bent increases speed 4)
wings are used to correct trajectory 5)
when bill touches water, legs and wings pushed back,which
thrusts bill forward. 6)Bill
enters water with
pouch contracted
between lower jaw sections (flexible mandibular rami). 7)Jaw positioned so prey is
between upper and lower jaws. When prey is in correct position, jaws
are adjusted to
surround it. 8)
Upper jaw *may* also "herd" prey towards lower jaw which is allowed to
stretch and collect everything. 9)
Lower jaw parts allowed to expand and swell the gular pouch.
The
pouch
can hold 10,000 cc of water (about 2.6 gallons) The entire pelican
weighs about 2.9 kg (6,4 lb), but the filled pouch can weigh about 6.5
kg (14.3 lb). 10)The
head is NOT moved to
trap prey when full.The jaws close, keeping the filled pouch. 11) If
pouch is empty, head and filled pouch are lifted straight out, allowing
water to pour out the front of closed bill, which is
pointing down. 12) If
there is a fish inside, it is kept in by the closed bill. If there is
prey caught, it can take 60 seconds to pour out the water while keeping
prey inside the bill. then the head is
tilted back, and the fish is
swallowed. So, it is fairly easy to tell if a pelican has caught
something by noting how quickly it surfaces and lifts its head
after a
dive. In the video I have linked
above, I have 2 examples of "misses"
and 2 examples of successful "catches". For the latter two,
the
pelicans were not quite as cooperative, and were further away.
Finally,
this last image (above right) is from another video clip here(mp4) .
I found the clip interesting because of what was going on behind the
pelican. First, another pelican can be seen
diving. Then, a couple fish
appear in frame, and it looks like they have jumped at least a couple
feet out of the water. They also look like sharks to me. Their bodies
are sort of "oval" and not flat
--and it appears that the tail has two
lobes, but one is longer than the other. The shape of the pectoral and
dorsal fins (from what I can see) appears to be sharklike.
07/025/2015--
Quintana, Texas. Once again, I went out to look for the usual
things. I was able to shoot some video at
120fps. This time, I captured some clips of pelicans
grooming, and
flying. The first 11 images
(below) are frames from the first video clip linked here(mp4) .
These are the groups of Pelicans performing various grooming functions.
One of the most interesting
was this "stretching" of their pouch. As
the images show, a pelican tilts back its head and apparently stretches
out the pouch by doing this. After the head-raising, the pelicans then
pull their
head down, forming a strong curve in their neck. This seems
to allow for the pouch to be pushed "inside-out". It's a very odd
sight, since it appeared to me
that the neck showing inside the
pouch was bare, with no skin showing.
According to the Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior, pelicans to this to
keep the skin flexible. There is another part of the clip that shows a
pelican
scratching its head with its foot. It keeps balance well, while
reaching under
its wing to scratch. It also turns its head and moves it towards the
scratching foot.
---
07/04/2015--
Quintana, Texas. Once again, I went out to look for dolphins
and
pelicans...and whatever else shows up. This time I shot some video at
120fps. I could STILL watch pelicans
soaring and diving all
day...and I
suppose I've done that. This time, I captured some clips of pelicans
diving for fish. The first image
(below left) is a frame from the first part of the video clip
linked here(mp4) .
The remaining images are from the second part of the clip, and show the
part where a dolphin can
be seen in the background as the pelican dives. I have more
clips
showing dolphins, but the clips are very short, and don't show much of
the dolphin's activities. Some day, I'll try to post some of those
clips.
02/21/2015--
Quintana, Texas. Once again, I went out to look for dolphins
and
pelicans...and whatever else shows up. This time I shot some video at
210fps. I could watch pelicans
soaring and diving all day...and I
suppose I've done that. I got lucky and
captured this Brown Pelican taking off from the water--at 210 fps. Note
how it lifts its wings clear of the water first,
then gains speed by
pushing with both feet in a "leaping-paddling" motion. The
image
below left is a frame from the video clip linked here(mp4) .
Next, there is a clip showing a Brown
Pelican (with the bright
mating colors on its head) flying by, also filmed at 210 fps. The image
below center is a frame from the video clip linked here(mp4)
.
Finally, there is a clip showing a Brown Pelican (with the bright
mating colors on its head) flying high, then slanting down to skim just
above the water, also filmed at 210 fps. The image
below right is a frame from the video clip linked here(mp4)
.
The last clip is a great example of a Pelican using "ground
effect" or "compression" gliding. As the Pelican gets close
to
the
surface of the water, the air is compressed under its body and
extended wings. This causes the air under the wings to become more
dense, and this increased density helps hold the
Pelican aloft.
Therefore, it is using less energy to fly. Notice that the
Pelican has to rise a little higher to allow room for the occasional
wing-flap. Ground-effect doesn't start until the
height above the
ground is equal to or less than the wing span. Above that
distance, there is no air compression or increased density.
------
BROWN PELICAN TAKING OFF
BROWN PELICAN FLYING BY
BROWN PELICAN FLIES HIGH TO LOW
05/11/2013--
Quintana, Texas. Many folks (especially "birders") like to
visit
Quintana, and specifically the Neotropic Bird Sanctuary there.
While I do like to walk the sanctuary
occasionally, I really
like to go to the rock jetty that is just a little past the Sanctuary.
The jetties protect and show one of the openings to the Intracoastal
Waterway. I can (and do) easily
spend hours there watching the various
forms of life as they work this area. Pelicans are there, too. On this
day, I happened along when the Pelicans were hunting (fishing?
foraging?)
and was able to capture some video. Click here(wmv) or here(mp4) to see 2
minutes' worth of Pelicans diving--filmed at 120fps.
12/01/2012--
I was leaving a beignet shop in Chinatown when I notice a formation of
large birds flying overhead. When I looked closer (I grabbed a pair of
binoculars out of the car);
I saw that they were Pelicans! Big, White
Pelicans. As
I watched, they moved off a little, and then swooped down to
land.
That really caught my attention, and I got in the car and
drove
towards where I'd last seen the pelicans. Then I realized I was heading
towards Arthur Storey Park, and the large water-retention area
there. When I got there, I didn't see the small flock
of Pelicans
swimming. Instead, I saw a mass of white birds on the island. The
entire island was covered with White Pelicans! And...a large number of
Cormorants, and a few other wading
birds. I couldn't stay long, but seeing this group of big birds was an
unexpected treat.
11/24/2012--
I finally made the trip to Quintana, Texas. I'd heard about it from
many of the birders that I'd talked to at BBSP. So, I drove
South
on 288...and made it to Quintana. I didn't stay
for long, but I found
the jetty (this is just one side of the channel). And, I saw some Brown
pelicans flying. Here are 2 pictures of them gliding by. I
really
enjoy watching the pelicans as they
glide just above the surface of the
water.
01/04/2009--
I was walking along 40 Acre Lake trail at BBSP when a large flying bird
caught my attention. It was white, and I thought it was a Great Egret.
But, something about it didn't seem
right, so I looked at it through the
binoculars. It was was a White Pelican! Pelicans hardly ever visit the
park, and I watched as it flew out over Pilant Lake. I just assumed it
was passing through.
I climbed the Observation Tower to see what I could.
It was pretty cold, and the breeze up at the top is pretty strong. My
eyes
teared profusely, making difficult to see in some directions. When
I looked
out over Pilant Lake, I found the Pelican again, and so I was able to
observe
it through my camera. The full optical zoom (20x) didn't help as much
as
I'd have liked, so I tried the digital
zoom (100x), and it worked surprisingly
well. Today's RICKUBISCAM (see RICKUBISCAM 01/04/09 below) is a frame
capture
from one of the video clips of the Pelican foraging in the lake.
I was
surpised at the leisurely dipping that the Pelican was doing. I found
out
(according to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior) that this is
common behavior for the White Pelican. The
Brown Pelican feeds on saltwater
prey, and dives onto potential food; while the White Pelican (the one I
saw) prefers freshwater prey, and does this dipping behavior. The
Pelican's
beak with
that large pouch (gular pouch) is used only to catch food--not
to store it. The pouch is sensitive enough (I don't know the mechanism)
so the Pelican can detect food even in darkness. The
White Pelican can
also have a wingspan of about 9 feet! I wanted to try to
catch some
photos or videos of the Pelican taking off, but the cold finally made
me
turn out of the wind, but I at least
shot some video footage of the Pelican
foraging. An edited version of some of the clips can be seen here
(wmv 16.5 mb).
As
I
was looking the other way, some park visitors called up to me, and I
turned
in time to see the Pelican flying right towards the tower. I turned the
camera around, and shot a couple bursts
of photos. These are mostly blurred
( it's hard to focus on a flying bird). I did what I could with one of
the images, and it at least shows this striking bird. (See Pelican
Flyby
below)
--------------------------------------
PELICAN
FLYBY
RICKUBISCAM 01/04/09
If you'd like to know more about the park follow these links:
Brazos Bend State Park The main page.
Brazos
Bend State Park Volunteer's Page The
volunteer's main page.
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