Brown Pelicans have returned to Rincon, PR

What a happy day! The Brown Pelicans have returned to Rincon Puerto Rico. We awoke today to the weather front that had moved in overnight, covering the western coast with dense clouds and rain and....the arrival of the brown pelicans! I quickly grabbed my camera. In the photo above, you are able to actually see some of this bird's coloring and the enormous wingspan. From his light underside, he is most likely a younger bird. The bird sitting on the water is older as his head coloring is much darker.


The Brown Pelicans will dive, capture their fish and then momentarily sit on the water. Then suddenly, as if directed, all take off and swoop around again for another dive.

In this photo I managed to capture a pelican diving head first into the water for a fish, a satisfied bird sitting on the water, and one taking off after his meal! Notice the enormous splash as the pelican hits the water. They hit with a lot of force and almost always get their fish! Spectacular to watch.
Note: To see more detail in the photographs, if you click on them they will come up in another window and be a little larger.