Thursday, October 8, 2009

White (?!) Pelicans

Here along the coast in central California we are very used to seeing brown pelicans. They've made a huge comeback. There was a time when they were vanishing from our waters, but not now. We love to watch them on our nightly walks along the Morro Bay harbour, diving for fish and flying off in jagged skeins. But....



... imagine our surprise this week when we saw white pelicans! 15 of them, swimming close together and fishing in the traditional pelican way of dipping their huge bills into the water and scooping up dinner. I assume they are migrating - from where, to where, I don't know.





Pure white with lovely contrasting black under-wings that pop against the lighter sky when they take to the air. I'm not sure how long they will stay, but what a treat while they're here.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. I'm glad Seth's post drew you to it. I appreciate your interest in ephemera and look forward to having you as a regular vistor.

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  2. Love the white pelicans. After years of visiting the central coast, I've only seen the brown ones (sometimes in formation). 2009 has been a remarkable year in many ways...why not white pelicans.

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  3. P.S. Does Lynne P. know about Marty Weil's blog? I think the book references, in particular, would interest her. Paper, glorious old paper.

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