American White Pelicans

Gallery: AvianPosted December 9, 201394 views5 comments

I was going through the archives today when I found a fun series I shot of American white pelicans at LeHardy Rapids in Yellowstone. This is typically the spot I go to in spring to shoot harlequin ducks, but the ducks were gone this time (2009) and two pelicans had taken over.

Normally I see them in calmer parts of the rivers and lakes in the park, so it was fun shooting them in a more dynamic environment. The pelicans would perch on the boulders waiting for a fish to pop up. After a while, they'd jump in the river and let the current take them downstream as they watched for a meal to reveal itself. Then they'd fly lazily back up to their original perch and repeated the process.

Incidentally, I think my wife actually got the best shot from this encounter, after I gave her a quick tutorial on long exposures.

Canon 40D
Canon 500mm f/4 IS
ISO 400
1/2000th
f/4.5

Max

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on December 9, 2013 at 7:12 PM

Nice, I like both the foreground and the background Pelican. Your wife's shot is really beautiful also.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on December 9, 2013 at 8:07 PM

A dynamite capture of this pelican in a terrific setting. I find the OOF pelican slightly distracting though. The shot your wife took is killer, she should be very proud of that image.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 9, 2013 at 9:31 PM

I have to agree that your wife outdid you on this one, Max. Still a very nice image with a different dynamic.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on December 11, 2013 at 10:44 AM

Cool behavioral image. I rarely see white pelicans in white water situations. Normally, I don't care for OOF background subjects, but in this case I think it adds interest to the image. Thanks for posting. Dave

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 14, 2013 at 9:30 PM

I think this is a super image Max, the juxtaposition of the in focus bird and the oof bird with the beak open looking opposite directions is wonderful. Your wife`s image is nice but not as unique as yours.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments