American White Pelican

American White Pelican flying low over the water.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, March Boardwalk, Fort Worth, TX, December 24, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-640; f/6.3; 1/3200 sec.

This page is for the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). I was fortunate enough to be at the Nature Preserve the day the pelicans arrived on their migration. The November 13, 2021 photo below (my first photographic evidence and one of my favorites) is from that day. I probably took 200 photographs of them; some flying but most were on the water about 250 yards away. They have been a constant presence at the Preserve but seem a bit more scattered as it moved into 2022. The best photograph I have taken of the American White Pelican to date (above) was from December 24, 2021 at the Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX. They are quite majestic as they fly nearby.

The following photographs are the best representative images from different dates and locations than my species representative example.

Eleven American White Pelicans flying overhead against a clear blue sky.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Marsh Boardwalk, Fort Worth, TX, November 13, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-2000; f/14; 1/8000 sec.
American White Pelican flying past with a mostly overcast sky.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Cross Timbers Trail footbridge, Fort Worth, TX, December 11, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-500; f/6.3; 1/2500 sec.
American White Pelican flying low overhead against a blue sky.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Cross Timbers Trail footbridge, Fort Worth, TX, December 30, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-800; f/6.3; 1/2000 sec.
American White Pelican flying low over the water with two ring-billed gulls and a double-crested cormorant swimming below.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Lone Point, Fort Worth, TX, January 2, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-320; f/7.1; 1/1000 sec.
Two American White Pelicans soaring overhead.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Cross Timbers Trail footbridge, Fort Worth, TX January 15, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-100; f/10; 1/500 sec.
American White Pelican flying low overhead against a blue sky.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve River Road, Fort Worth, TX, February 6, 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 256 mm; ISO-500, f/5.6, 1/3200 sec.
Four American White Pelicans flying against an overcast sky. A barren tree is in the bottom left corner.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Cross Timbers Trail footbridge, Fort Worth, TX, February 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 273 mm; ISO-1600, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec.
American White Pelican swimming on the other side of some water plants.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Greer Island, Fort Worth, TX, February 27, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 428 mm; ISO-200; f/7.1; 1/1600 sec.
American White Pelican soaring low, close to the water.
American White Pelican, North Holiday Park, Benbrook, TX, May 21, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/800 sec.
American White Pelican swimming in slightly choppy water.
American White Pelican, North Holiday Park, Benbrook, TX, May 28, 2022
EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/2000 sec.
Six American White Pelicans on a sand bar in the water not far from the near shore. Most are sleeping and one is standing.
American White Pelican, Bitter Lake NWR, Roswell, NM, November 9, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Four American White Pelicans resting on the water. One is grooming and two appear to be asleep.
American White Pelican, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM, November 11, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-250; f/11; 1/400 sec.
Two American White Pelicans flying overhead in an overcast sky.
American White Pelican, South Holiday Park, Benbrook, TX, January 2, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-160; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Several American White Pelicans swimming near the far shore and filtering food from the water.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, January 7, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 661 mm; ISO-320; f/11; 1/500 sec.
A pair of American White Pelicans swimming among a large group of around 30 Double-crested Cormorants, including one cormorant that is sunning itself with outstretched wings while standing one a small tree stump barely extending above the water.
American White Pelican, Mustang Park, Benbrook, TX, January 16, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Over a dozen American White Pelicans swimming in the lake surrounded by hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants and a Ring-billed Gull.
American White Pelican, North Holiday Park, Benbrook, TX, March 10, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-250; f/11; 1/400 sec.
Seven American White Pelicans flying low over the water near the far shore of the creek.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, April 1, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 2.0x Teleconverter; 1000 mm; ISO-1000; f/14; 1/640 sec.
American White Pelican soaring overhead.
American White Pelican, Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, San Antonio, TX May 12, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-100; f/10; 1/640 sec. -0.7 exposure bias.
American White Pelican, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, February 4, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-3200; f/11; 1/800 sec.
About 30 American White Pelicans resting on a sandbar.
American White Pelican, Mustang Island, Port Aransas, TX, February 22, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 700 mm; ISO-640; f/10; 1/1000 sec. +1 Exposure Bias
Almost two dozen American White Pelicans standing on the shore of an island.
American White Pelican, Port Aransas, TX, February 23, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 420 mm; ISO-500; f/8; 1/1000 sec. -1 exposure bias
Two American White Pelicans flying nearby.
American White Pelican, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Austwell, TX, February 24, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 700 mm; ISO-160; f/10; 1/1600 sec. -1 exposure bias
About wo dozen American White Pelicans, and a few other smaller shore birds, standing on the beach next to a sand dune. There is a cow feeding on top of the dune.
American White Pelican, Port Aransas, TX, February 24, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 500 mm; ISO-320; f/8; 1/1000 sec.