Either alone on the wing or in a large flock, one of the more graceful birds in flight, at least in my opinion, that is, has to be the American white pelican.
I can think of no other bird that more beautifully catches a thermal and effortlessly soars high above the earth in near-perfect synchronization or, if you will, can glide in an almost perfect state of harmony with other birds in their flock just a few inches above the water’s surface.
And this unmatched elegance in flight at any and all altitudes is why I love photographing pelicans so much.
I literally spend countless hours each and every summer traversing the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route in hopes of photographing a pelican either taking off from the water or gliding effortlessly over the large open waters of the bird refuge.
But this grace and elegance are sometimes lost on the American white pelican when the miracle of flight takes a backseat to, well, the need for food.
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A couple summers ago while trying to photograph pelicans in flight on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge it was made known to me just how cruel American white pelicans can be when fighting over a meal.
(Feeding Pelicans at Farmington Bay.
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It’s no secret the American white pelican primarily eats and feeds on fish to fill its diet.
And with carp being so plentiful on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge these “rough fish” are a major portion of the pelican’s diet while on the refuge.
Carp can grow to become quite large and pelicans are no stranger to catching and trying to swallow individual fish much too large for other fish-eating birds, like herons, for example, to swallow.
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Pelicans don’t chew or break up their fish but rather swallow them whole.
But in order to swallow these bulkier, larger fish in one piece it takes a few tries and a few minutes for the pelican to get the carp to go down its throat.
And this is where American white pelicans can and sometimes do show a side of themselves not oftentimes seen when they are casually loafing in a flock on a sandy bank or gliding effortlessly high above on a warm summer breeze.
On that particular day and with a camera in hand, I was sitting on the refuge where the Bear River literally comes to an end and where water is diverted to different parts of the bird refuge.
It’s a spot where pelicans commonly congregate during the summer months on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to not only fish but to also spend their lazy summer afternoons loafing or taking a nap on the opposite bank of the river.
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Being part of the actual Bear River itself, larger carp are common here and it didn’t take long for one of the pelicans to catch a carp that was much too big to swallow on the first, second, or even the third try.
That quickly caught the attention of another nearby pelican also in search of fish and, well, the one-sided fight was on.
The second pelican chased and harassed the first pelican for several long minutes or more, brutally biting the first pelican’s head over and over in hopes of causing it to expel its catch.
Luckily for the first pelican, it never did drop its catch and eventually, the aggressor gave up the ever-so-cruel chase with both pelicans going their separate ways.
I had never seen pelicans fight over fish before like this and it certainly was an eye-opener for sure.
American white pelicans can and will fight over fish and this was proven once more as a few minutes later the same thing happened yet again when another pelican scooped up a fish, immediately drawing the unwanted attention from a couple of other pelicans nearby that also chased and harassed in hopes of stealing an easy meal for themselves.
Ever since that day I keep my eye out for this behavior and it isn’t as uncommon as one would think.
I have seen pelicans chase and harass other pelicans in hopes of getting them to drop their fish on several occasions since then so it does indeed happen from time to time.
Some of the altercations are quick and done within a matter of seconds and some are like what I witnessed at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge where a very brutal one-sided fight went on for several minutes or more.
This newfound knowledge of the American white pelican hasn’t soured my love for these graceful birds any, they are still one of my all-time favorite birds to view and photograph and most likely always will be.
But the episode I witnessed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on that warm summer day, and many times since then has certainly opened my eyes to behavior I would never think these gentle masters of the sky would partake in, even over food.
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