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I’m talking, of course, about “my” flock of American White Pelicans. American White Pelicans spend their winter months along the Gulf states, California, parts of Arizona, and Mexico down into Central America. They migrate north through the Western United States, breeding in pockets all the way up through Canada.
The other day I was exploring a new area for the first time, birding the national park that I’ve watched only in BBC documentaries, the place famous for the largest Dalmatian Pelican colony in the world – more than 1300 pairs! Greylag Geese. Dalmatian and White Pelicans (White = the black ones). Have you heard of it?
Few suitable nesting trees still survive today When I visited Kerkini last month, the water was high as high as I have ever seen it, though the number of ducks and geese was low, as is usual. There were a few Mallard, and the odd Ferruginous Duck, along with Greylag Geese and Mute Swans. A mass feeding frenzy.
Queen of Spain Fritillary , photographed in mid November Clouded yellow – another common November butterfly For the autumn or winter visitor, the biggest draw is the flock of Lesser Whitefronted Geese that in recent years have been regular and reliable wintering birds on the lake. They soon lose the colour as the spring progresses).
For all that, though, migration here is still largely a water-based show, with the most spectacular signs of springs coming in the forms of ducks, geese, and swans. Several locations in the state, most notably Freezeout Lake, are graced with epic spring migrations of Snow Geese and Tundra Swans as they return north along the Pacific Flyway.
Aleutian Cackling Geese on Buldir Island, Alaska, where they made their final stand. Aleutian Cackling Geese are another bird very familiar with the Pacific; they are the only species of goose that nest on Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands. Brown Pelicans are not an unusual sight on the California coast. Half Moon Bay, CA.
Per usual, the Canada Geese proved to be the most prevalent species – and the loudest. And a lone American White Pelican , its impressive wing span reminding me for the umpteenth time of the hugeness of this species. . Black and Turkey Vultures soared overhead, joined by the occasional Osprey. The highlights?
Nikos said: “I may have about an hour before breakfast and can take you to see the geese.”. Kostas Papadopoulos observing Lesser White-fronted Geese at Kerkini. Lesser White-fronted Geese, of course. Lesser White-fronted Geese at Kerkini, photo by Kostas Papadopoulos. Stopping here and there to scope the mudbar….
We know that big birds like waterfowl such as ducks and geese benefit from the flying-V. Waterbirds like pelicans and cormorants make the most of the chevron formation as well. Sometimes a bird is better off going it alone. But according to a study published in Nature , flying in a messy flock does birds like pigeons no favors.
Most of them based in a single attractive, historic, and easily walkable city or town, my tours, under VENT’s Birds, Nature, and Culture rubric, always see plenty of birds: hoopoes and rollers in France, Great Bustards and bean geese in Germany, Fulvous Owls and Black-capped Swallows in Guatemala are just a few examples.
Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Ringer Anhingas and darters , cormorants and shags , frigatebirds , gannets and boobies , pelicans , and the tropicbirds all share a characteristic found in no other living bird: Their feet are totipalmate.
Remnants of several old rock breakwaters are slowly being absorbed back into the sea, but provide spectacular resting sites for pelicans, gulls, and many kinds of shorebirds. Shorebirds, ducks and geese gather here by the thousands, nibbling on the fast growing plant life this area provides.
Clapper Rail , American White Pelican , Snowy Owl , Cackling Goose , Blue-winged Teal , Bald Eagle , Lark Sparrow , Clay-colored Sparrow , Pine Warbler , and Turkey Vulture are all good birds for the count. Oddly, on count day we only found one of the two Cackling Geese that have been around Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Imagine waking up to the call of thousands of ducks, geese, and every kind of marsh bird you can imagine. This group of American White Pelicans were good enough to stop right where I wanted them to, to get this shot. In the same shallow water as the pelicans, there were several hundred American Avocets.
One of the neognath branches is called Galloanserae and consists today of the the Galliformes or landfowl (megapodes, guans, guineafowl, patridges, pheasants, grouse, turkeys, quail, and relatives) and the specialized aquatic Anseriformes or waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans, and related waterfowl, along with the weird South American screamers).
Ross’s Goose – I recently blogged about this bird sighting , a bird that was well-earned at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge as it was camouflaged by well over a thousand Snow Geese. Brown Pelican – With all of that seawatching one of these birds is bound to show up! Turkey Vulture – Wow! Whimbrel – The other.
I think the modified Clark’s Nutcracker looks pretty rad, but the American White Pelican is a major bummer. This is not artistic photoshop, this is most likely the work of environmental contaminants.
The van was parked at the Eastern Dyke of the lake and we were scanning the mud flats and numerous Pygmy Cormorants , Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans with a few Greater Flamingos and Eurasian Spoonbills here and there, as well as one or two Purple and Black-crowned Night-Herons. Picture 2: Lesser Spotted Eagle – Clanga pomarina.
Sandhill Cranes calling somewhere on the south end of the lake, Western Grebes calling to one another, Canada Geese honking away noisily, and somewhere above me, Red-wing Blackbirds roosting in a pine tree called out, in their harsh gargling cry. The first was the presence of 10-12 American White Pelicans. It was good to be back!
March 31, 2015 – I get word from a friend that a non-birder has reported a large white pelican at a lake not more than 5 minutes from my door. Lo and behold, there’s the Mute Swan, with an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN swimming along beside it. I get the word out.
Whether it was hawks , terns , seabirds , wood-warblers , shorebirds , geese , falcons , finches , or songbirds and woodpeckers I was there with my camera. Then I slowed down a bit but still found an insanely good bird for Queens , chased a rare duck , went out to Montauk , saw a pelican , and nabbed a good goose in the Bronx.
And even before we had left the car park I had gotten some Bronze Manakins bathing in the water feature at the gate and some Pink-backed Pelicans nesting on the lights of the nearby sports ground. Some young Egyptian Geese. Once inside we were offered and took up a tour of the gardens by golf cart, which was very nice.
Looking at the official Bird Counts that the refuge provides, it showed that from 9/1 to 9/7 there were the following numbers: Ducks – 30,712 Canada Geese – 978 White-fronted (speckled) Geese – 236 With that many ducks, and thre amount of smoke, any real chance of identification was nearly impossible.
As we entered the wildlife area we saw hundreds of shorebirds, W hite-faced Ibis , American White Pelican , several species of duck and hundreds of G reater White-fronted Geese.
The best birds so far were two rare geese, Lesser White-fronted and Red-breasted Goose (both my second observations ever), plus Bewick’s Swan and Red-crested Pochard – all in Greece. Dalmatian Pelican – Pelecanus crispus. Greater Flamingo – Phoenicopterus roseus. Black Stork – Ciconia nigra.
Ducks and geese certainly make up the bulk of the observations. Gulls, pelicans, oystercatchers, and a few sparrows. Now I have a fairly healthy list of birds that I have found with bands, both in field observations. as well in my photographs. I have over 200 waterfowl that I have recorded those shiny bands on.
Plus other Diving Ducks and Dabbling Ducks, as well as Swans, Geese, Cormorants and Anhingas, Loons, a couple of Grebes, Alcids (this is where my heart starts to go pit-a-pat), Tubenoses (love that term), one species of Frigatebird, a Gannet and two Boobies, Pelicans, Skuas and Jaegers (more pit-a-patting), Gulls, Black Skimmer, and Terns.
Western Grebes, Clark’s Grebes, Wood Ducks, American White Pelicans, and a few Short-billed Dowitchers made up some of the highlights. The north end of Abert Lake had close to 10,000 ducks and geese on it, so you can imagine how excited I was to get to Malhuer! There was a large population of Western Grebes on the lake.
This 57,331 acre refuge was set aside as a critical wintering location for tens of thousands of Geese, Ducks and Sandhill Cranes. The refuge turned out to be 100 times more than I had ever possibly thought it might be, and a place I have vowed to return to, for a much longer visit than I scheduled this time.
It provides shelter for many songbirds and water-associated animals, including the river otter, turtles, beaver, American pelicans, ospreys, and migratory songbirds. Finley National Wildlife Refuge’s primary management goal is to provide wintering habitat for dusky Canada geese. Established in 1964, the William L.
It could mean venturing outdoors on January First accompanied by a storm of gulls picking through frozen garbage, or meditating on the calls of ducks, geese, and finches during a cold, misty dawn. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis; Carara, 3-Jan. The latter is how I began 2019 in Costa Rica and I am grateful.
Among them are Dalmatian Pelicans , so big and lazy. We are approaching a large mudbar with some more Dalmatian Pelicans… and a flock of geese… dark, round-headed and short-billed, elongated white blaze on their faces – threatened and declining Lesser White-fronted Geese ! Should I add, a lifer, too.
There were good numbers of Green Pygmy-geese, Comb-crested Jacana, Great and Intermediate Egrets, Magpie Geese and a family of Black-necked Storks. Magpie Geese and Black-necked Storks- juvenile on the right. Australian Pelican, Magpie Geese and Plumed Whistling-Ducks. Magpie Geese. Forest Kingfisher.
Magpie Geese, Purple Swamphen, Brolga and Pied Heron near the boardwalk The bird hide is shaded well and a nice breeze blows through it to save you from the dry 40c (105f) September days. A Little Black Cormorant seemed to be a lot more successful than the Australian Pelicans at finding small fish.
Magpie Geese are also here in the hundreds and that is only what we can see from the bitumen! When storms come through the Magpie Geese can often be seen taking to the skies. Magpie Geese in flight Whiskered Terns have also moved to the area to feed and no doubt breed.
There are no longer any Green Pygmy-geese , but there are over one thousand Magpie Geese. In fact there are so many Magpie Geese it does make it hard to establish what else is present. Magpie Geese. Magpie Geese, Intermediate Egrets and Royal Spoonbills. Glossy Ibis, Masked Lapwings and Magpie Geese.
The Lesser White-fronted Goose is not only rare in Serbia, but also overlooked among numerous Greater White-fronted Geese. Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus. In my native Serbia, pelicans are only vagrants, although in the under-birded southeast, they may be more common than we think. Dalmatian Pelican by Sebastian Bugariu.
You have to look carefully, because often there are Australasian Grebes and Green Pygmy-Geese amongst the ducks and lilies. Quite often there are Australian Pelicans , Brolga and Royal Spoonbills present and the egret species often include Great Egret , Intermediate Egret , Little Egret and Cattle Egret. Ducks at Munkajarra Wetland.
As we walked from the car park to the bird hide we noticed a family of Magpie Geese on the edge of the billabong. Family of Magpie Geese. The Australian Pelicans were not overly concerned and it is more likely that the crocodile would take a wallaby on dusk as it came in to drink. Australian Pelicans and crocodile.
At first I dismissed them for some hybrid geese, until I recognized their JIZZ. Several Glossy Ibises , two dozen Gull-billed Terns and Collared Pratincoles , a few Dalmatian Pelicans , Black Terns , Dunlins …. This year, we had about 65 dead pelicans. Great White Pelican – Pelecanus onocrotalus 1.
One lake has had a lone Australian Pelican in for several weeks and in the last few weeks there has been the arrival of Magpie Geese and numerous Radjah Shelducks. Australian Pelican. Australasian Darter and Green Pygmy-geese. There are also Pacific Black Ducks present throughout the lakes.
The expected Australian Pelicans were there and a handful of Plumed Whistling-Ducks , Eurasian Coot , Masked Lapwings and an Olive-backed Oriole was calling continuously. It is only during particularly wet seasons that Magpie Geese come to Broome and already they have started to arrive. Magpie Geese enjoying the flooded plains.
Royal Spoonbill and Australian Pelicans. A bit further from town we soon added Wandering Whistling Ducks and Magpie Geese to the list, but no longer were there a handful of birds. The numbers have grown exponentially in the last week and there were over four hundred Magpie Geese. Magpie Geese. Wandering-Whistling Ducks.
Pied Heron Pied Heron and Masked Lapwing Juvenile Pied Heron There are Australian Pelicans constantly on the move from the coast to the flooded plains and there are plenty of fish for them to eat still. There are also areas that are a great environment for many of the duck species and Magpie Geese.
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