Some days in photography are really special. June 20th 2020 happened to be one such day for me at the Baylands park in Palo Alto, CA. I had been visiting that place since about a week and had seen a flock of white pelicans fly by high up in the sky and had mentally wished to photograph them up close. These pelicans are like the elephants of the bay. They are so elegant and graceful. This evening, this beautiful fella just glided by solo for a quick swim near the point where I was shooting. I got to photograph it to my heart’s content. I hope you all enjoy it. Click on any image to see the enlarged size.



Fun Fact: These are the longest birds native to North America. They have the second longest wingspan after the California Condor. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_white_pelican )



It performed some yoga poses too..somebody seems to have gotten a head start on international yoga day ! 🙂



..and there comes the signature pelican sac..



Fun Fact: During breeding season, these birds grow a “horn” on top of the upper bill. They shed these horns after the eggs are laid. The breeding season is from April to June. This fella definitely is an Adult. But the male and female look exactly the same except a small difference in size. I couldn’t recognize whether this is male or female. But it so enjoyed the water.



The black “remiges” (flight feathers) are seen now as it prepares to take off. Other than during flight these feathers are mostly hidden and they appear completely white.



After enjoying a 10 minute swim, it flew off ..