Rondeau Ric

A rare visitor in our area on L ake Erie. We followed up on a rare bird posting and were lucky enough to find the bird within minutes of arriving. Long distance shots until the bird flew up and went west over Lake Erie. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Pelican chicks can crawl by 1 to 2 weeks of age. By 3 weeks they can walk with their body off the ground and can swim as soon as they can get to water. Older chicks move up to running, then running with flapping their wings, and by the age of 9 to 10 weeks, they can fly. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_White_Pelican/lifehistory

This is from our 2011 trip to Texas. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos American White Pelicans cooperate when feeding. Sometimes, large groups gather in wetlands. They coordinate their swimming to drive schooling fish toward the shallows. The pelicans can then easily scoop up these corralled fish from the water.

This is from our Texas trip in 2012. Somewhere along the gulf coast. Pelecanus occidentalis While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch—sometimes while perching on the pelican's head. The oldest Brown Pelican on record was 43 years of age.