It’s been an amazing week photographically speaking. I’ve been wanting to photograph the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) migration as it passed through northern Illinois. By the end of March though I was fairly disappointed and convinced that I had missed the opportunity this year.
Last Saturday, I decided to take one additional trip out to one of my favorite locations for wildlife, Nygren Wetland Preserve in Rockton, Illinois. My heart filled with joy when I saw a small bright white patch in the waters on the east end of the preserve.
After hiking over to the east side, I got to a vantage point directly across from the pelicans. It was an overcast day which gave me some nice even lighting and kept the exposure range down to an acceptable level.
All total, there were around 15 pelicans at Nygren resting up before continuing their journey. These birds are just incredibly beautiful creatures and a joy to watch. With 10-foot wingspans, they are masters of flight, capable of nearly vertical takeoffs and long smooth glides. I truly am addicted to these birds now and look forward to capturing their visits each year from now on.
This isn’t the end of the story though. There is much, much more to report. Stay tuned.
These photos were made using the Nikon D7000 with Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, tripod mounted.
Thank you so much for the nice compliments.
That Horicon Marsh sounds like a good place to do some photography. I looked it up on Google Maps, and it’s about 3 hours north of where I live. Sounds like a nice long day trip or possibly a weekend trip. I’ll have to research what kind of wildlife is around the marsh and what kind of photographic access there is.
I meant to say The Spring Northern Migration of the pelicans and the Sturgeon Spawning are a close timeline.
I have seen the pelicans herding fish at night.
I really like your pictures of the pelicans. Those are great shots. Really great. Thanks for the great pictures. They are both the best pictures I have seen of pelicans (because of your closeup shots). My favorite is the second picture under American White Pelicans Migrate North.
Some of the pelicans come to Wisconsin to a place here that is called Horicon Marsh. It is a great place to see the great migrations. Pelicans are also spotted at various places around Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin.
I have seen more exotic bird species migrating here over the last four or five years. It is exciting to see them. I am learning more about them.
I learned 2 things today about the pelicans. One is what they are called the American White Pelicans and the other is about their bill.
It is close to Sturgeon spawning time. The water temperature is getting close. The Spring Northern Migration of the swans and the Sturgeon Spawning are a close timeline.
I have seen the swans herding fish at night. I counted about 50 swimming together in perfect unison. They were like a synchronized swimming team. They were completely quiet.
Photography is my hobby. Probably the most exciting time for me is hearing the birds overhead in the Fall Migration. It is an exciting time. It is great that they are back.