Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Pelican drops in on a western grebe

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An American white pelican prepares to land on a pond. (© Tony's Takes)
An American white pelican prepares to land on a pond. (© Tony’s Takes)

Well, this was one big bird with a bit of attitude.

I was tracking it across the sky as it approached and, suddenly, it takes a sharp turn and begins plunging toward the water. Its target? A western grebe that was hanging out quietly in the middle of the pond.

The grebe saw the pelican coming and after sounding an alarm, dived out of the way at the last minute. Once the pelican settled on the water, it swam toward the grebe who clearly knew it was no match for the bigger bird and moved on to a different spot of the pond.

I don’t know if the pelican thought the grebe was a fish or perhaps just has a thing against waterfowl but it was clearly targeting the much smaller bird. Kind of a fun bit of action although my angle wasn’t exactly ideal. Be sure to check out the entire sequence of images.

Pelican drops in on a western grebe
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony's Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony's Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony's Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony's Takes)
A pelican lands right near a western grebe. (© Tony’s Takes)

Pelicans perch with their reflections

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Pelicans perch with their reflections
A pair of pelicans and their reflections hang out on a pond. (© Tony’s Takes)

Sometimes I come across a scene and think, wow, that looks pretty cool. Such was the case with this image.

I was out on a trail, hoping to find something worth photographing. The skies were a dingy gray somewhat dampening my enthusiasm and hopes to find anything. On a pond, these two American white pelicans were perched on an old, crusty piece of concrete.

The water was the same color as the gray skies above, creating a virtually blank slate surrounding the birds on their perch, other than their reflections in the water below. Unfortunately, there was just enough of a hint of a breeze to keep the reflection from being perfect but I still find myself really liking this image.

The odd couple – snow goose and pelican hang out

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The odd couple – snow goose and pelican hang out
A snow goose follows an American white pelican through the air. (© Tony’s Takes)

While the images aren’t anything extraordinary, it was kind of a fun thing to see. As I was hanging out at a local pond, I noticed an American white pelican about to land. Following it, a smaller, white bird. This struck me as quite unusual so I continued to track the pair as they circled and landed.

The smaller bird was a snow goose and it seemed to have decided to hang out with the pelican for the day. Snow geese only come to Colorado during migration so it likely soon left for areas north but it was neat to see this odd couple together.

A snow goose follows a pelican to a landing on a pond in Colorado. (© Tony's Takes)
A snow goose follows a pelican to a landing on a pond in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Lots of wings in motion!

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Lots of wings in motion!
American white pelicans, great blue herons, double-crested cormorants and even a great egret take flight. (© Tony’s Takes)

Well, this was a crazy scene I witnessed yesterday. After receiving my second dose of the COVID vaccine (Moderna), I decided to go for a walk around a local open space. There, I came across this very odd gathering of birds.

In the corner of the pond there were 30+ pelicans, 10+ great blue herons, a few cormorants and even a great egret – all gathered together in a very small area.

Seeing that many pelicans in one area isn’t unusual as they fish in groups. However, great blue herons don’t usually hang out together unless nesting and usually aren’t inclined to tolerate other creatures. I don’t know, but I am guessing a bunch of fish had gathered in the area and everyone was having a feast; that is the only thing that would seem to make sense.

It was definitely something I haven’t witnessed before. It didn’t last long as soon after I started photographing, someone came along the path and that was enough to scare them off resulting in this crazy cacophony of activity. You can see each of the birds I mentioned if you look close.

First American white pelicans of the season

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First American white pelicans of the season
An American white pelican flies above Barr Lake State Park in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

I’ve been on the lookout for these guys as they return for the summer and managed to find some this past weekend. Unfortunately they didn’t want to come particularly close and the pics aren’t extraordinary but as they are my wife’s favorites, I am obligated to share them. 😀 No doubt many more opportunities await in the months to come.

An American white pelican swims in Barr Lake State Park, Colorado. (© Tony's Takes)
An American white pelican swims in Barr Lake State Park, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

American white pelican out for a morning swim

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American white pelican out for a morning swim
An American white pelican enjoys a quiet morning. (© Tony’s Takes)

A shot from last weekend of my wife’s favorite bird. There were a few of these hanging out at the ponds of St. Vrain State Park, Colorado that were willing to give me some nice captures. It won’t be long and most of them will be heading south. With the heat we have been having though, they certainly have no reason to rush out of town.

“I’m telling you, Joe. The fish are over there!”

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“I’m telling you, Joe. The fish are over there!”
An American white pelican points the way to the fish. (Tony’s Takes)

An American white pelican tries to steer the rest of the pod toward where the best fishing is. 😉

The one photo subject my wife always indulges me on is pelicans as she loves them. On this morning we spent some time photographing a bunch of them that were hanging out on the lake shore. As always, they proved quite entertaining.

Taken at North Sterling State Park.

“Just try to keep up, fat boy!”

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“Just try to keep up, fat boy!”
A great blue heron performs a fast flyby of an American white pelican. (© Tony’s Takes)

Taken on my photo drive this past Monday at the local regional park. I was photographing this pelican when out of the corner of my eye I see the heron taking off from a bit further up the inlet.

I quickly swung my camera and started clicking, grabbing this shot as the pterodactyl-looking heron few by the big-billed pelican.

Both of these birds are common here in Colorado during the summer and provide some great photo opportunities.

American white pelican weathering the storm in black and white

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American white pelican weathering the storm in black and white
Black and white image of an American white pelican in a spring snow. (© Tony’s Takes)

Definitely not your hoped-for warm, spring day here on the Colorado Front Range today. We saw a bit of snow and temps have remained below freezing. That of course didn’t stop me from getting my photo exercise.

I happened across a huge gathering of 40+ pelicans at the Adams County (Colorado) fairgrounds. They and Mother Nature gave me some cool shots between the snow, wind and fog.

This particular pelican separated from the group and the sun made a very brief appearance. It really lit up the bird beautifully. Converting to black and white added some drama and helps to make the snow show up.

My wife, a big pelican fan, loved the capture.