American White Pelican
I was standing on the road, watching the fishing boats at the landing at Height Of Land Lake. These pelicans were busy fishing for food. They do not plunge dive, but feed by dipping their large pouched bill into the water and scoop up the fish. The raised bump on the top of the beak is only present during the breeding season, and sometimes they are called the Rough Billed Pelicans. I don't know if they are still migrating north or if these birds have been at this lake other years and come back yearly. I'll have to go back in several weeks to see if there any little ones! It was at least an hour that I watched them. There were five of them, and they tended to swim together to somewhat herd the fish to more shallow water and then scoop the fish up. In looking up information on the pelicans, they nest May through August and spend winters along the Gulf Coast, California and Mexico.
I watched the one with a full pouch catch a big fish, a big long fish; maybe a Northern Pike?! The camera missed the fish sticking out both sides of his mouth.
I wonder if they were more successful than the nearby fishing boats at catching fish!
