In general Brown Pelicans are large, slow moving birds that are easy to take BIF photographs of. Our perch looking over Water Bay on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands was a great place to photograph these magnificent birds. Here’s a shot of one as it slid by below our condo.
Although we think of pelicans as floating on the water, they actually roost in trees. Here’s a shot of a Brown Pelican with a bit of food in its bill landing below us on a tree limb.
Evidently they like to also roost on old, unattended boats as well. I would hate to be the one who had to clean up that mess before shoving off on a fishing trip!
Most beaches we visited while on the U.S. Virgin Islands had Brown Pelicans gliding just off the shoreline. They would fly back and forth looking for fish in the waters below them. I caught this one over Magen’s Bay – notice how the blue water below it is reflected off of its wings.
When they spot their prey, these large birds would dive down into the water at a high velocity. Since their beak isn’t open at the point they enter the water, I assume that their impact stuns the fish for a second giving the pelican time to scoop them up in its pouch. Then they expel the water from their pouch and swallow the fish live.
One last batch of Great Bird Pics from the U.S. Virgin Islands next week.
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Tremendous photo array!
That boat owner might want to invest in a cover!