Since the Pelicans do not frequently occur at the GWR, I would've expected them to move on pretty soon, but they've been around for a while now, and when I saw them they were acting like they owned the place. These guys must be like the Pelican puritans that left Tres Rios and all of its squalid hedonism to establish a pelicaniform city on a hill out in Gilbert.
Watching these fissiparous birds feeding is great fun. Coastal Pelicans like to dramatically dive-bomb their meals, which always makes for a great show. These Pelicans were not quite as energetic, and instead would just kinda swim around the ponds, then stop, then slowly and with great lassitude, face- plant into the water.
They'd just lay there for a minute, enjoying the experience and no doubt meeting my gaze without the slightest hint of embarrassment at being seen in such a state. Slowly that throat pouch would fill up, and then when it had reached a appropriate capacity, the Pelican would raise its head and strain everything out.
Sometimes, after I've been slouching for a while and/or eating lots of greasy bread-type food, I feel like I have a few rings of chins or a big throat pouch hanging off my face.
Thank you, American White Pelican, for giving me better perspective.
P.S. I would much rather have these birds delivering babies than Storks. Thoughts?
White Pelicans do fish in a lazy way compared to brown pelicans but I find both ways fascinating.
ReplyDeleteWe have so many American White Pelicans here during the breeding season and so few storks (vagrants) that they DO deliver the babies. :-)
Yup, to each their own. The White Pelicans probably don't want to mess up their pretty white feathers with the dive bombing--Brown Pelicans are often mangier already.
DeleteI have never seen Pelican chicks before...that must be a chuckle bucket!
I think a baby would be snug as bug in the Pelican's large pouch! White Pelicans are one of my favorite winter visitors. Great close ups!
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't know why people don't utilize Pelicans when they do those infant portraits. A Baby peeking out of a Peli-pouch? Adorable.
DeleteBeautifully captured renditions of the lazy peli-flop ballet.
ReplyDeleteOh wow...you should get Broadway on the phone about producing a Lazy Pelican Ballet.
DeleteI mean, if they did one about Cats, then why not Pelicans?
Sweet shots! These guys look way more fun to watch than than their lethargic cousins, the Peli-can'ts. As for your counterfactual, I don't know whether storks or pelicans should deliver babies, but pelicans would certainly make for much more efficient pickle delivery. I'll pass the word along to Vlasic.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, good point about the pickles. Maybe the Pelicans aren't Kosher? Otherwise I can'y imagine why they'd be going with Storks still.
DeleteThese guys struck me as being pretty enervated, even to the point of themselves being Peli-can'ts, but I guess they're already pretty tough for doing their Pelican thing out in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.
I guess the final question is then, could Pelicans carry pickles and babies at the same time? Pickled Babies?
If I saw a pelican coming my way with a baby I would run screaming. Same with a stork though. If carrying pickled babies, well, I guess I would need to take a look at that. It would make a great blog post for my alter blog "i used to hate babies."
ReplyDeleteAnd how about your other other blog, "I used to ate babies?"
DeleteNow that's where the pickled part would really come into play.
Got your post on a birding trek with Kathie and we stopped to look at your shots. LOVE this cell phone! Fantastic photos of such an interesting bird. They just pop out in the desert and it's still for me the weirdest thing to see....especially during monsoon. The Brown ones get caught up in Monsoon....but the white wizar....I mean pelicans are much more regal and elegant. Excellent shots! Saturday, we'll be home. Just fb if you want some peeps with you. Don't have to twist Kathie's arm too hard:) And if you're feeling that it's just a "you" day that's okay as well:) Tonight we are having a bird seed party. I'm not sure what they'll be serving to the humans. I do love sunflowers seeds.
ReplyDeleteHey! Some in-field bird-bloggin'. Nice!
DeletePelicans are weird, no doubt about it.
Unfortunately I had to do some rescheduling in preparation for the business that is this coming week (work stuff). I had to push my trip to Lake Havasu to next weekend (Saturday) since I couldn't do it this weekend, so today I went down to the Santa Cruz flatlands to look for Carcara and Mtn. Plover.
I'll still be in Tucson soon, but probably not for a few more weeks.
Looking forward to that day!
Nice shots. I always marvel at how big they are when you see them in real life.
ReplyDeleteYes! They are incredibly bulky birds. Sometimes I marvel that they manage to fly.
DeleteFascinating post, Laurence! I have only seen pelicans dive-fishing. I guess in a quiet lake it's easier to let small fry float into their pouch. Also thanks for teach me some new words: fissiparous; just wondering how I would ever use it in sentence???
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilke,
DeleteYes, in the little contained ponds of Phoenix I guess there's no need to use any energy on acrobatic feeding.
It made me sleepy though to watch em', could also been in part due to it being about 4pm, which always makes me tried.