Wednesday, December 21, 2011

World Bird Wednesday: Australian Pelican

On my recent visit to Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, my Mum & I took a drive out to Hastings Jetty so we could capture the Australian Pelican.

At first it looked like we were not going to have any luck with close ups... there was one preening himself on one of the mooring poles.

And another gliding effortlessly...

So we drove around to the next car park where the fishing boat ramp was and bingo...

All of a sudden there was great excitement - flapping of wings...

And more incoming pelicans and silver gulls...

A fisherman had stopped to feed the birds his fish waste... what amazingly large bills (the largest in the avian world)


He made pretty quick work of that one!!

And once fed, they went on their way...


I am always amazed that such large and cumbersome looking birds can get off the ground so easily and fly so effortlessly...


Thanks for stopping by & check out more birds at:

CLICK THIS PICTURE!


25 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

you got some great shots of that huge bucket bill! :)

Brian King said...

Fantastic shots, Elizabeth! Very interesting pelicans!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Your Australian Pelican is strikingly different from our American White. I'll trade you any day! Very nice.

Unknown said...

Great capitures!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

mick said...

Great photos. Pelicans are always fun to watch. Did you hear the nasty noise they make? It's not at all in keeping with their elegant looks!

Christina Klas said...

Wow. Those photos are really incredible! What a beautiful creature. :)

EG CameraGirl said...

These pelicans are such cool-looking birds. They look like they might each have personalities too.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

A lovely series Liz. Love the three photos of them feeding.

Hilke Breder said...

Great shots of a majestic bird! I am glad he didn't swallowed any other animals. I saw a video on youtube of a white pelican just picking up a pigeons and swallowing it whole!

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful images of a stunning bird to see...

eileeninmd said...

One of my favorite birds, great captures. Have a wonderful day.

eileeninmd said...

One of my favorite birds, great captures. Have a wonderful day.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful shots! They look so self-satisfied!

Patrice said...

I just LOVE pelicans, and these are gorgeous! They're like jumbo jets when they fly!!

Jeanne said...

Marvelous shots of these pelicans! Just love them. Also, thank you for stopping by my blog! Have a wonderful Christmas!

Lisa Gordon said...

These are just gorgeous Liz!
I especially love the fourth one.
What a perfect moment.

Carole M. said...

a really lovely post; delightful photographs showing all differing moments with the pelicans.

holdingmoments said...

Excellent close ups of these magnificent birds.

Springman said...

Utterly fascinating post Liz! This is the best look that I've ever had of the Australian pelican. What a grand bird. I am happy to report American White pelicans are summering in Michigan again. Yours are beautifully marked and wonderful to behold, Thanks for this great series.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Rambling Woods said...

Oh my goodness..I have never been able to see that..wow...talk about biting off more than you could chew

Michael S-B said...

What great comments for this post!!
They really are spectacular birds. So regal in flight and ungainly on re-entry.
You have taken some brilliant photos here, Liz.

Lori P said...

Love, love, love these photos!

Larry said...

Super shots of the Australian Pelican Liz! What a gorgeous bird! I love pelicans and this species is certainly a looker.

I really like those in flight shots but the close-ups are truly breathtaking!

Mary Howell Cromer said...

These are just wonderful photographs, they made me happy to view. Merry Christmas!

Ingrid T said...

Liz, what lovely depictions of the pink and chocolate-brown hues of these pelicans. Thank you for this vicarious experience ... since I haven't had the pleasure of seeing Australian Pelicans in person (yet).

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