One of my first (or first reasonably successful) bird-in-flight attempts on my new K3 iii, with the DFA 150-450mm zoom. Taken from my back yard. The bird was flying high, possibly about a 1/2 block away. Tripod mounted. Had to tilt the forward legs of the tripod off the ground, and pan. This was one of 4 shots (single shot shooting mode - it caught me by surprise, so no time to change to burst mode). And I was not in my custom BIF settings where my shutter is set to 1/1000s. Haven't yet got around to customising file names on the K3 iii yet!! Cropped to 100% size.

[PJ1]

I like the "seat of the pants" technique for a nice shot. I had about twenty of them circling over here last week. A rare sight for me.

[K2 to K50]

I like the "seat of the pants" technique for a nice shot. I had about twenty of them circling over here last week. A rare sight for me.

Yeah, my favourite shooting setup with the 150-450mm is with my Vanguard GT 300H Pistol Grip ball head (with cable shutter release) mounted on either my monopod or tripod. Trouble is, while it can tilt down almost 90 degrees, it can only tilt upwards about 30 degrees. If I need to go more vertical than that, I have to tilt the tripod backwards.

[Pentaxians]

Nice BIF shot!

[ToddK]

Very good results from a spur of the moment opportunity!

[mroeder75]

I like the "seat of the pants" technique for a nice shot. I had about twenty of them circling over here last week. A rare sight for me.

You get white pelicans in Mosquito Creek? I thought this was only a migratory North American bird. Tell us more.

[K2 to K50]

You get white pelicans in Mosquito Creek? I thought this was only a migratory North American bird. Tell us more.

I will let PJI answer for himself re Mosquito Creek, but pelicans are pretty ubiquitous on the coast virtually all around Australia, and also frequently found inland in rivers and lakes. In fact, when Lake Eyre (almost in the centre of the continent) is actually a lake instead of just a dry salt plain, Pelicans have been known to arrive there in their hundreds and, I believe, even breed there. The lake sometimes has smaller floods about once every 3-4 yrs, and more substantial flooding about once every 10 yrs.

The following is an extract from this site:
Some things you might not know about pelicans (because nobody really does) | About Regional

"The other reliable, though very sporadic, source of baby pelicans is on various far-flung inland waterways of the Lake Eyre basin during rare flooding events. In 1990, around 100,000 pelicans (perhaps a third of all the pelicans in Australia) on Lake Eyre produced 80,000 to 90,000 chicks, which later dispersed throughout the continent, including Canberra’s lakes."

See also:
Australian Pelican | BirdLife Australia

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Last edited by K2 to K50; 06-17-2021 at 11:08 PM.

[PJ1]

You get white pelicans in Mosquito Creek?

I have had one on a dam just behind our house but they would not usually land on the creek because it is fairly narrow and often dry. I think they just take a bit of a break on a convenient bit of water before looking for another thermal to ride. They are quite common on the rivers a little further west. "K2 to K50" (you are a true gentleman, sir) gave you most of the info. The Australian Pelican (our only pelican) is found all over the continent as well as into New Guinea and western parts of Indonesia. It occasionally turns up in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. They are white with black on the wings and tail and are found wherever there is water and fish to eat. They head inland in their thousands to breed as soon as rain falls out there. How they know that the channels and Lake Eyre are filling, no one really knows. I am always promising myself a trip out there to shoot some pics on a pelican rookery.

The pic below shows three from the group I referred to above. I just happened to have the K-3 and DAL 55-300 in hand when I looked up and saw them. It was a grey day and I just snapped before they went out of view. I snapped the pic to send to my granddaughter who also said "I didn't know pelicans would go out there". But she is a smart girl so she got all the good info from me.

[Sailor]

Terrific catch. I love to watch pelicans as they gracefully soar and then plow into the water to grab some grub.

Jer

[Apet-Sure]

Fabulous catch. Well done!

[pichaser]

One of my first (or first reasonably successful) bird-in-flight attempts on my new K3 iii, with the DFA 150-450mm zoom. Taken from my back yard. The bird was flying high, possibly about a 1/2 block away. Tripod mounted. Had to tilt the forward legs of the tripod off the ground, and pan. This was one of 4 shots (single shot shooting mode - it caught me by surprise, so no time to change to burst mode). And I was not in my custom BIF settings where my shutter is set to 1/1000s. Haven't yet got around to customising file names on the K3 iii yet!! Cropped to 100% size.


Attachment 538920

You are making good use of that gear .

[mroeder75]

Interesting reports on Australian pelicans. In North America we have brown pelicans and white pelicans. A better birder could tell you more about them than me. That said . . .

Brown pelicans are found along the coast (where I do not presently live). For a Midwesterner they are very fun to watch. They soar over the shallow waters near the beach on both the Gulf Coast, and the Sun Coast (Atlantic Coast) in Florida and when they spot an edible fish drop down in a 90° plunge to snare their prey; they sit on piers, and sometimes allow humans to get quite close to them.

White pelicans are migratory birds. North American white pelicans look very similar to the photos of the ones posted above in this thread. I see them in Florida in the winter, and we see them in the spring and summer in Iowa and Wisconsin (the Midwest) and they go right up into Canada too. I captured a few not so great photos at a distance a few years ago below the Coralville Dam near Iowa City:

[Apet-Sure]

I captured a few not so great photos at a distance a few years ago below the Coralville Dam near Iowa City

In your second shot it looks like he's eating some Pringles!

[mroeder75]

In your second shot it looks like he's eating some Pringles!

I think white pelicans have a protrusion on the top of their beaks. We do not see them often. A better birder could correct me.

Edit: A horn protrudes upward from the beak during breeding season on males, and females.

[K2 to K50]

Thanks everyone for the friendly comments!!

I have had one on a dam just behind our house but they would not usually land on the creek because it is fairly narrow and often dry. I think they just take a bit of a break on a convenient bit of water before looking for another thermal to ride. They are quite common on the rivers a little further west. "K2 to K50" (you are a true gentleman, sir) gave you most of the info. The Australian Pelican (our only pelican) is found all over the continent as well as into New Guinea and western parts of Indonesia. It occasionally turns up in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. They are white with black on the wings and tail and are found wherever there is water and fish to eat. They head inland in their thousands to breed as soon as rain falls out there. How they know that the channels and Lake Eyre are filling, no one really knows. I am always promising myself a trip out there to shoot some pics on a pelican rookery.

The pic below shows three from the group I referred to above. I just happened to have the K-3 and DAL 55-300 in hand when I looked up and saw them. It was a grey day and I just snapped before they went out of view. I snapped the pic to send to my granddaughter who also said "I didn't know pelicans would go out there". But she is a smart girl so she got all the good info from me.

Nice formation shot there PJ1 - or, as I am sometimes say when there is another Peter around, which of us is Pete, and which of us is rePete?

Interesting reports on Australian pelicans. In North America we have brown pelicans and white pelicans. A better birder could tell you more about them than me. That said . . .

Brown pelicans are found along the coast (where I do not presently live). For a Midwesterner they are very fun to watch. They soar over the shallow waters near the beach on both the Gulf Coast, and the Sun Coast (Atlantic Coast) in Florida and when they spot an edible fish drop down in a 90° plunge to snare their prey; they sit on piers, and sometimes allow humans to get quite close to them.

White pelicans are migratory birds. North American white pelicans look very similar to the photos of the ones posted above in this thread. I see them in Florida in the winter, and we see them in the spring and summer in Iowa and Wisconsin (the Midwest) and they go right up into Canada too. I captured a few not so great photos at a distance a few years ago below the Coralville Dam near Iowa City:

Good shots therem Mark