The Drifter - a photo on Flickriver

The Drifter

            I spotted this American White Pelican floating backwards down the river (right to left in this image), exhibiting no other movement, but just drifting with the current. It made me wonder if it was unwell. A bit of research revealed that these birds more typically float forward while using their throat pouch to scoop up fish in the water. 

But I also discovered that while floating backwards is unusual for these birds, it’s not totally unheard of. So that made me feel better. In any case, Mr. Pelican eventually floated away and out of sight down the river. For any who may be wondering, by the way, the large flat plate on the upper bill on this bird is called a horn, which develops during the breeding season.

Taken in: United States / Illinois / Nunda Township / Ferndale (show map)

Taken on: April 12, 2025

Tags:

American White Pelican

Fox River

M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5-6.3

McHenry County

McHenry Dam State Park

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

bird

birds

water

water birds

wildlife

Sunrays+5 « less

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Camera: OM Digital Solutions OM-1, f/9.0, 1/1600 sec, 560mm, ISO 2500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	OM Digital Solutions OM-1
Lens:	M.100-400mm F5.0-6.3 + MC-14
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1600)
Focal Length:	560mm
ISO:	2500
Exposure Bias:	+0.3 EV
Flash:	On, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 14.2 (Macintosh)
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