July 29, 2015, was my best pelican day so far this year at the Ridgefield NWR. The two pictured American White Pelicans were part of a group of five that flew right above the road where I was parked. But not only that–they decided to start circling almost directly above me, climbing higher and higher with each rotation. By now I’m out of my vehicle pointing my lens to the sky. In a few minutes, the birds are so high they are small white dots against the blue sky–very hard to spot. I’ve seen pelicans do this circling in the past and it makes me wonder what purpose it serves. Maybe it’s their way of just enjoying the day. Or maybe they knew I wanted a picture of them!
Canon 5D Mark III, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO 320, 700mm (500 + 1.4x), 11:24 a.m.
If you missed my earlier post from July 29 of a pod of pelicans on the water and a video, please click the links.