By Vladimir Brezina
Every time I travel south, I look forward to seeing pelicans once again. Some birds are just irresistibly idiosyncratic, and pelicans are. (Herons and egrets are, too.) Everything about them is fascinating to watch…
… the way they are revealed by the gray dawn sitting silently on pilings
… the way they fly in formation as the sun rises out of the sea
… the way they skim low over the water
… the way they sit right on the dock, at ease with their human neighbors
(These photos were taken at Glover’s Reef Atoll, Belize; at Amelia Island, Florida; and near Fort Myers, Florida. More photos from those locations are respectively here, here, and here.)
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 
Every morning at dawn when I go surf kayaking, there is a group of 10-20 pelicans that skim over the waves in formation.
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Must be great to expect to see them each morning like old friends…
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One of my favorite birds when I head to FL. I go sit at the Clearwater Pier and just watch them for hours.
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Wow. Your pelicans look totally different to ours here in Queensland, Australia. Ours are more distinctly black with white while those in your photos are more grey.
Loving your blog :)
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Thanks, Andrew! Black-and-white pelicans? I might have to go to Oz for that!
We think the brown one with the single yellow feather might be a juvenile–something about the shape of his face, the unfinished crest, and the way he behaved with us….
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i love the shots of pelicans. i tried unsuccessfully to foto them skimming the waters last summer in florida.
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Those two close-up photos of flying pelicans were taken at Glover’s Reef Atoll, Belize, where there was a low pier
past which the pelicans flew predictably, and could be seen coming way off, so it was quite easy to wait for them and track them with the camera. Otherwise, it’s really hard, I agree!
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