If you are like me, an avid birdwatcher, you get excited when news of an unusual bird in the area is posted.
This kind of news most often causes me to drop what I am doing in hopes of observing and photographing the rare bird.
Yes, I am one of those, happily to admit.
In past years, I have chased some exciting birds, including a snowy owl and a great grey owl.
I never did find the snowy owl, but I was fortunate to have seen the great grey owl a couple of times a few years ago.
Recently, in a similar manner, a brown pelican has been spotted on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and I had to cast the daily tasks aside in hopes of capturing a few images of this rarely seen bird in Utah.
Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of pelicans.
We get the American white pelican in northern Utah quite commonly, as one of the largest breeding colonies of white pelicans in the country has historically been found on the remote Gunnison Island in the northern arm of the Great Salt Lake.
The brown pelican is a rarity, however.
I have heard only a small handful of sightings have ever been confirmed in Utah, so this was a very unique opportunity and moment for bird watching enthusiasts of all kinds.
The brown pelican is a coastal bird, calling both sides of the North American continent its home.
From what has been portrayed on the Audubon Society website about the brown pelican, it rarely comes inland, which makes this and any other occurrence quite unusual and very unique.
(Gosky Spotting Scope)
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It actually didn’t take me long to find the brown pelican this morning.
I crossed paths with a few other birders and nature photographers on my search, but after about 10 minutes of driving up and down Forrest Street, the large winged sea bird was eventually spotted.
After a few unsuccessful attempts at diving in shallow water for a meal, it landed on a semi-submerged log to preen for a few minutes, giving me and a couple of other observers a great opportunity to photograph this large and very beautiful bird.
From talking with others who had heard about it, I learned it was identified as a juvenile male and quite possibly from the Gulf Coast region.
We may never know which coast it is from, but no matter where its origin, this pelican is a long way from home but a very welcome visitor to our neck of the woods.
If you are interested in birds, butterflies, and just plain nature as a whole, I will suggest subscribing to my blog.
I typically post about the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, when possible, but I am beginning to expand my horizons and include other fascinating things I find and photograph that nature has to offer.
Well, I think I am going to head back out this afternoon to try and find the brown pelican again, hoping to get more in-flight images if at all possible.
These rare bird sightings happen so seldom; I like to make the most of these unique moments in nature.
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