Diving Brown Pelican at Cape Disappointment State Park

This Brown Pelican was photographed at Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco WA. Adult Brown Pelicans are gray-brown birds with yellow heads and white necks and the juveniles are gray-brown with pale white bellies. Brown Pelicans are stocky seabirds with long broad wings. Their flocks or squadrons are easily identifiable and unmistakable as they glide above the waves rising and failing mirroring the movements of the surf.

During the incoming tide flocks of Brown Pelicans, Gulls, and Cormorants were fishing along Waikiki Beach located within the park. Watching these comical yet graceful birds feed during the incoming tide is a spectacle and thrilling all in the same moment.  Brown Pelicans feed by plunge-diving from high up, and stunning small fish from the force of the impact before scooping them up in their expandable throat pouches.

Pelicans are found on many of the world’s coastlines and are social birds. They also breed in groups called colonies, which typically gather on islands far away from predators.

EXIF Data

Aperture – ƒ/7.1
Camera – NIKON D90
Date Created – 2013:08:04 13:15
Focal length – 500mm
ISO – 400
Exposure Time – 1/1600