I noticed my first American White Pelicans for the year while on a walk on a blustery late March day. They were soaring very high in the sky above the neighborhood. Unless you happened to look up, you’d have no idea they were there.
A week later my friend and I headed north where some Common Loons had been spotted, and that’s where we were able to see some pelicans up close.
Breeding males and females get that little vertical plate on their beaks in the spring.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “American White Pelicans must provide roughly 150 pounds of food to nourish a chick from its birth to the time it’s ready to forage on its own.” And “Contrary to cartoon portrayals and common misconceptions, pelicans never carry food in their bill pouches. They use them to scoop up food but swallow their catch before flying off.”
