A Trio of Pelicans
by Kathy White
Title
A Trio of Pelicans
Artist
Kathy White
Medium
Photograph - Photography--greeting Cards Or Notes Are Cheaper By The Dozen!
Description
"A Trio of Pelicans" is the title of this photograph of a trio of pelicans preening themselves at a East Dallas, Texas lake. What is preening? Preening means to smooth or clean (feathers) with the beak or bill. Waterfowl need to protect themselves against becoming water-logged whilst swimming, and in wet weather. They do this by keeping their feathers in top condition by preening themselves on a regular basis. The process of preening removes parasites and scales that cover newly sprouting feathers, but also involves the spreading of oil over clean feathers. To me, that looks like what these pelicans are doing, almost stopping to peek at me, to see what I am doing.
We love to visit this lake whenever we can to see the beautiful pelicans, Mallard ducks, geese, the graceful swan, American coots and various other colorful waterfowl. We love to watch the kids feed the coots, ducks and seagulls. White Rock Lake at Sunset Bay is full of life and noise and laughter every time we go there.
Sunset Bay is very sheltered and the waterfowl flock there most evenings. It’s officially classified as a wetland. Birders love Sunset Bay and for good reason - 175 birds have been identified in or near Sunset Bay. Each evening, the waterfowl congregate at Sunset Bay to feed. The bay also offers them a lot of protection against predators. White Rock Lake is on the migration route from Canada to Mexico and many migrating birds stop over at the lake on their long journey.
Pelicans in numbers line up on the logs and in the water and delight the visitors that "flock' to view them! Each year, Pelicans from the north head south for the winter. Many stop over at White Rock Lake before continuing their journey south, and many spend the entire winter at White Rock. At times, you can see what looks like a hundred or so pelicans basking in the sun or playing in the water.....or preening on a log. It is a bird watching enthusiast or a photographer's dream place.
And as you watch the pelicans, the beautiful swan floating along in the quiet waters, you forget that the huge, bustling city of Dallas and it's crowded suburbs are only miles away. You can actually see the downtown Dallas skyline across the lake. But who cares when you are looking at all this gorgeous nature right in the midst of the city, almost hidden away from the crowds! You just sit back, take a deep breath and take it all in. And get some great photographs!
Uploaded
August 15th, 2014
Statistics
Viewed 685 Times - Last Visitor from Wilmington, DE on 04/24/2024 at 9:50 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
