California Brown Pelican

[Tim Foltz]

Canon 1DX • 1/4000 • f/6.3 • ISO 500 • handheld • manual

Pelican flipping fish into its pouch after a successful dive.

Thanks for looking.

-Tim

[greg cowle]

Nice shot of the brown pelican in breeding plumage. Cool thing about the brown pelicans is that they are the only pelicans to plunge dive, but the water is almost still... looks like it picked up a tossed fish on the water.
Greg

[Tim Foltz]

Nice shot of the brown pelican in breeding plumage. Cool thing about the brown pelicans is that they are the only pelicans to plunge dive, but the water is almost still... looks like it picked up a tossed fish on the water.
Greg

Thanks Greg, I can assure you these are not baited, he's got at least 5 fish in its beak, I have shots with upwards of a dozen or more.

-Tim

[greg cowle]

Thanks for the reply Tim. Can't see all the detail of the interaction in the JPEG, but in my mind I can't resolve the water state and the apparently dry bird with the description involving a dive, but I wasn't there. I guess there was a significant delay between the dive and the flip, maybe it wasn't a plunge dive, more like what the browns copy from the american white pelicans in their feeding behavior. But still a great shot of the breeding plumage.
Greg

[Tim Foltz]

Thanks for the reply Tim. Can't see all the detail of the interaction in the JPEG, but in my mind I can't resolve the water state and the apparently dry bird with the description involving a dive, but I wasn't there. I guess there was a significant delay between the dive and the flip, maybe it wasn't a plunge dive, more like what the browns copy from the american white pelicans in their feeding behavior. But still a great shot of the breeding plumage.
Greg

Thanks again Greg, there was no significant delay, these pelicans will often move a few feet from the initial impact site to elude a cormorant or loon, and as you know the water immediately sheds off the pelicans feathers.
if you would like to see more I have a lot and they all look very similar. Usually this time of year at the local wetlands it is teaming with pelicans, but this year they are late or going somewhere else.

http://www.timfoltzphotography.com/N...CANS/i-32z6sPG

-Tim

[Glenn Pure]

Based on the sag in the bottom of its bill pouch, it has quite a few fish in there. I don't know how they catch and keep that many without losing them. I'm sure I'd die of starvation if I was a pelican. As for the image, this looks great to me. Very well handled tone and colour even on the highlights and great detail. Effective composition and great pose. No nits from me.

[Arthur Morris]

Wonderful image on all counts. Bolsa Chica?

with love, artie

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks again Greg, there was no significant delay, these pelicans will often move a few feet from the initial impact site to elude a cormorant or loon, and as you know the water immediately sheds off the pelicans feathers.
if you would like to see more I have a lot and they all look very similar. Usually this time of year at the local wetlands it is teaming with pelicans, but this year they are late or going somewhere else.

http://www.timfoltzphotography.com/N...CANS/i-32z6sPG

-Tim

Hey Tim, Thanks for the link. If folks would like to see some amazing images, check out the link above. 63/119 is amazing as are several other extreme close-ups.

with love, artie

[Tim Foltz]

Wonderful image on all counts. Bolsa Chica?

with love, artie

Thanks so much Artie, yes BC.

-Tim