American White Pelican

The evening sun on the day I picked to visit the American White Pelicans gave these majestic birds a golden glow. Each year, they gather by the Weir on the Bow River in Calgary. There can be many dozens of them gathering at the same time and you can see the frenzy when several spot the same fish! Each bird is slightly different, with varying amounts of black on their feathers. This photo has been used in "The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta", published 2007, which was a nice surprise!

A fish has been spotted! The churning water at the base of the Weir creates bubbling, foamy water which leads to a whole variety of Pelican photo backgrounds.

Even though these birds all tend to look white from a distance, you can see a lot of variation when they are closer.

I was surprised at how few fish were caught during the evening I spent at the Bow River weir in Calgary. I only noticed about three Pelicans actually feeding.

Well, not quite! The upper bird in the photo still has the bump on its bill that forms during breeding season.

I was intrigued not only with the birds themselves but also with the frothy, bubbling water which varied in colour from photo to photo.

Three of the Pelicans that were enjoying a beautiful evening, waiting for fish by the Bow River weir.

Dozens of American White Pelicans gather at the Weir on the Bow River in Calgary each year. This one was amusing to watch!

Yet another American White Pelican photo.