In recent years I’ve seen white pelicans at Lake Hodges more frequently. They like brackish water, so I guess as the lake’s water level dropped more and more, they found more food in the really shallow areas of the lake.
They’re especially nice to watch in the morning, when they’re perched on a rock together, preening, and then fly off to a different part of the lake… to have breakfast. :-) On this particular morning a slight haze was still lingering in the air and over the lake.
White pelicans preening, perched on a rock at Lake Hodges, Rancho Bernardo, California, November 2016.
My longest lens is 300mm and the rocks with the birds on them were pretty far away. The photos are cropped heavily and probably equal a focal length of 500mm now.
White pelicans preening, perched on a rock at Lake Hodges, Rancho Bernardo, California, November 2016.
The pelicans are fun to watch when they’re looking for food too – they swim in a group, and almost synchronously dabble their heads under water. Photos of that will have to wait for another day… and maybe for a longer lens, too. :-)