Trip to Smith Island – Part II
/Continuing the post about our trip to Smith Island, MD last weekend….
Brown Pelicans were the big bird show of the trip. I managed to get some birds in flight as herring and mackerel were thrown off the back of the boat and the birds flew in to get the fish before it sank below the water’s surface.
I took a series of pictures of a pelican flying away after getting a fish…and landing on the water…feet spread out.
There was another bird – close to the boat that took off from the water – a strong stroke of its wings as it raised the legs and then the big wings fully extended as it gained altitude over the water.
The pelicans use the man-made structures in or near the water like pilings,
Or partially collapsed buildings,
Or jetties. Other birds like cormorants and gulls also enjoy the same structures. But the pelicans were the numerous and the biggest. There were lots of juveniles…the pelican rookery had a good year.
