Sunrise Pelicans

Gallery: AvianPosted April 13, 20151,263 views10 comments

I took this shortly after my last post of pelicans in flight. I was shooting down the inlet canal at Cheyenne Bottoms, central Kansas shortly after sunrise. Waves of pelicans and cormorants kept coming in. The canal isn't very wide and the water is shallow, but the birds were packed in. Flocks of blackbirds, and even a Great Blue Heron joined in the fun. C&C always welcome and appreciated.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 13, 2015 at 8:50 AM

Have a few Pelicans! That's a pretty amazing collection of birds, Rob, but I do remember a similar collection of Snow Geese one fall at DeSoto Bend in Nebraska. The central flyway is an amazing place. The sharp birds in front (and up high) plus the warm light sure give this a great feeling. Viewing this makes it easy to imaging the cacophony of sound.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 13, 2015 at 8:56 AM

wow, this is beautiful. a great scene and composition. very evocative. the bird at top left really takes it to another level. I think it needs a very small amount of ccw rotation.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on April 13, 2015 at 9:07 AM

I really like this. I especially like the fact that you can clearly identify the pelicans, especially the guy in the top left of the frame. Must have been a thrill to witness this.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 13, 2015 at 2:35 PM

Beautiful, Rob. I like this one bettter than the last. The water with that gorgeous sky reflected adds a lot and the upper left pelican works very well.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 13, 2015 at 3:43 PM

Now that is really weird to see this many pelicans inland! The light and sense of dimension and countlessness add to this, but the best flavor I reserve for the warm light! devil

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 13, 2015 at 4:19 PM

I don't think I've ever seen this many pelicans together in the US. Really impressive, and I like the shot quite a bit. The way the golden water trails away into the background is great.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on April 13, 2015 at 9:27 PM

Very cool! Absolutely love the great sense of depth you captured with this image. The light with the large flocks of BIF is magical. devil

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 14, 2015 at 10:43 AM

I like how I can follow the river throughout the image Rob. Nice scene nicely seen! sad

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on April 14, 2015 at 12:00 PM

Outstanding scenic observation Rob. Would've been exciting to watch this as it happened. The light is fantastic! devil

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Graham on April 14, 2015 at 11:57 PM

Thank you, everybody. It was quite the experience. It even impressed my daughter :). It has been a good year for pelicans so far. Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira NWR are 2 major wetlands in central Kansas, and we get good numbers of lots of species during migration.

Registered on August 22, 2006, 842 Posts, 2824 Comments