Diving Pelican

[NorthernFocus]

There are various species of pelicans all over the world. But the only one that dives from aloft to catch fish is the brown pelican. They live in coastal areas of North, Central, and South America. When watching them dive in real time they appear as if they crash into the water out of control with wings all awry. But viewed with still photography or ultra slow-mo video it is obvious that they are in total control of their bodies.

The classic photos typically published of brown pelicans are shots of them skimming just above the surface of the water, often several birds in single file formation. But when they fish they glide along a few meter above the surface looking down at the water with their long necks folded in an S shape. When they spot fish they maneuver very quickly into a dive, wings partially folded and necks still held in the S shape. Just before they strike the water the head shoots out, much like the strike of a snake, and the wings are thrown straight back. By shooting out the head/neck the pelican can make the last second fine tuned adjustment needed to hit its mark. And by throwing the wings straight back there is less resistance when it hits the water allowing the bird to dive deep after the fish. Under water the bird opens its mouth wide and uses its famous purse shaped lower beak like a net to scoop in the fish.

This afternoon I shot several sequences of what is described above. Like every wildlife subject there is a learning curve to anticipate the animal's behavior. This was my first attempt at this particular critter plus I was shooting in poor light just before sundown in drizzling rain. In the coming weeks I hope to get some opportunities under better shooting conditions.

This sequence represents 0.6 seconds of real time.

All shot with Nikon D500, 200-500mm, handheld
1/800s, f5.6, ISO1600, 10fps

1) Pitching over into its dive.



2) Lining up and wings partially folded for speed.



3) Wings folding farther to increase speed.



4) Final maneuvers. Note the head is turned sideways and neck starting to shoot out in a slightly different direction than where the body is going.



5) Wings straight back as it enters the water to reduce resistance.



6) Look how deep the bird goes. With neck fully extended and wings straight back this bird is easily 1.5-2.0m long. Also note how small the splash is indicating how streamlined the bird was when it entered the water.

[Urbanflyer]

cool set! Thanks for sharing!

[rpcrowe]

Great set of shots and very interesting commentary... I have seen pelicans dive many-many times but, have never realized the different body positions that the bird attains before and after hitting the water. Lots of pelicans here in Southern California and lots of great places from which to shoot them. I have to start shooting them!

[Mike Buckley]

Great set of shots and very interesting commentary...

Absolutely true, but the underwater shot is missing.

[purplehaze]

Great shots and commentary, Dan. Thanks for all that you add to my appreciation of our natural world.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shadowman]

Nice ones.

[John 2]

You live and learn. Excellent and informative series Dan. Decent BIF shots still allude me and so I appreciate these more and more..

[Dave Humphries]

Fantastic series and commentary Dan - thanks.

I learnt a lot, Dave

PS
I'd love the D500 + 200-500 combo, but since I seem to have forsaken birds for babies this last year (not that I'm complaining. it's warmer for one thing!), it may be a while before that happens.

[Wavelength]

it is not just about photo taking; it is much more about a keen observation with deep rooted patience too....just amazed

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you guys found the post interesting. They were really active yesterday, presumably feeding just before the storm hit here. Hopefully they will get hungry when the sun is out too...

...Thanks for all that you add to my appreciation of our natural world.

Janis, I'm simply the reporter who show up with a Nikon. Thanks go to the Creator of it all. Like Albert Einstein I see the hands of a designer at work every time I look through my lens

...I'd love the D500 + 200-500 combo, but since I seem to have forsaken birds...

Honestly, Dave, I'd go for the lens and skip the D500. I'm not all that impressed other than frame rate and buffer size. IQ may actually be better with your D7100. And if buffer size is an issue you can save some money and pick up a D7200. The D500 is the first upgrade I've made that I wish I'd saved my money. Don't get me wrong it's an excellent camera. Just not that big of an improvement over the 7200 to warrant the cost.

And here's one for you Nandakumar. One from the bin I mentioned in another thread. The only shot where I caught the bird in full extension and I clipped it. Doh!

[george013]

A wonderful serie. Congratulations.

Did he catch something?

George

[NorthernFocus]

...Did he catch something?

There were multiple birds around so I didn't keep watching this one long enough to see whether it did. Overall they seemed to be scoring more often than not.

[Craigie]

A great series, once again Dan.

[Wavelength]

I think you framed it well; but alas! the bird cheated

[bnnrcn]

A great set Dan, thanks for sharing

[madcrow]

A very impressive series and story. I have never seen a pelican let alone one dive, thanks to your images, I have now.

[NorthernFocus]

Sorry, guys, I didn't see your additional comments on this thread. Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for commenting.