>>:::<<
Unforeseen gesture
Charms varied dispositions
Avian mooners
>>:::<<
Have you ever been mooned by pelicans, or any other creatures? This would be a first for us! The seagull seems to be their coach, saying, “ok everyone, listen up,…1…2…3…moon!”
On a more serious note:
>>:::<<
Instinctual paths
Speckled with diversity
Feathered migration
>>:::<<
These photos were taken this past weekend at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Northern Utah USA, an area where I am quite familiar. We wanted to visit this refuge during the Spring migration, which started early this year.
The refuge is on a delta of the Bear River in the northeast arm of the Great Salt Lake, and is the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. It “offers some of the most phenomenal water bird watching in the Western United States.” According to the US Fish & Wildlife Services, the refuge is “acclaimed as one of the world’s 10 best birding areas” and has “long been considered one of the most valuable wetlands in the intermountain west region.” It is a 74,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge and is host to millions of migratory birds yearly. Located the edge of two North American migration flyways, the Central and Pacific flyways, it is an important resting, feeding, and nesting area for birds in both flyways and is a habitat for more than 200 bird species.
The birds in the photos are American White Pelicans. Their Spring returns occur in March in Utah and they pair up with mates after arrival. They are monogamous, with nest building occurring within five days. According to the refuge’s website, the number of American White Pelicans on March 26, 2012 was 175.
In the future, I will post a few more photos from this trip.
This post is for the “M” Challenge by Frizztext (“M” is for Migration, Mooned (slang), Mate, Monogamous)
Creativity Aroused 
Beautiful! I love the migration from …the frame [2nd photo]!
I often heard from goose and storks in Germany leaving Europe to find Africa; also was impressed by a movie by Yann Arthus-Bertrand following birds’ migration around the globe; your article is a charming add!
Wonderful…these creatures can moon me anytime. What beautiful birds. I haven’t seen the Great Salt Lake in years!
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Love the post, Fergie! And I gotta tell you, I was just mooned by a male duck last Sunday (I posted it on my blog). You however, have captured these pelicans brilliantly! Perfect timing!
Beautiful pictures and I enjoyed the details on the park. I just hope there would more refuge like that all over the world. I have been mooned by many birds and other larger wild animals in the years I spent in the wild country. 🙂
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Funny moonshot!
Hi,
Really nice photos, great shot of the wing span, shows the black tips perfectly, looks like the ideal place to go bird watching.
I enjoy the pelican mooners. Really fun. Well seen and captured. Such beautiful pictures.
Super photos Fergie and I love the prose that accompanied them!!!
Pelican mooning! I feel honored. 😀
amazing shots
So cute and I love how their little orange feet are pushed out behind them! Lovely post FM.
These are gorgeous shots! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
They are the wonderful photos.
wonderful photos. such an amazing bird.
Love your mooners. I will always think of that now when I see the ducks go under the water.
Ha! I’ve been mooned by many an animal…usually a mammal but their have been a few birds (I know I have a goose butt image as well as a duck butt image!)
sounds like a wonderful place to visit … it takes patience to photograph birds …great shots!
Yes – that mooning thing happens to me all the time with the geese!
Fantastic photos!
What a great entry… gorgeous photos, beautiful haiku, hysterical mooning, and very interesting info! Thank you.
Spectacular images!
THose are great shots. I wish the refuge was a little closer: I’d love to visit it!
lovely photographs…love the framing of #2 especially, with the framing showing the birds on right leaving the frame and in the left just entering the frame…very dynamic !
Moonshine! So funny that is!
And off they go. Great how you publish a photo that has only one part of the bird on it.
Nice. It shows that water is clean and natural things still remain. In my neighoborhood, swan comes during the winter.
This made me giggle – love your sense of humor! The one flying does seem like the coach =)
Mooning by birds…is that what it’s called?! Now I know…yes, I’ve been mooned by Black Swans on Albert Park Lake, which is very close to my home in Melbourne, Australia. I had always a smile on my face when they seem to do that in tandem, as if on cue. Next time I’m there, I’ll try and get a few pix. These are good clear photos. As to only 175 pelicans…wow, what a shame. The pelican is my favourite as ship of the sky. We’ve been so lucky over the last few years when the rains have filled Lake Eyre and surrounding two other major lakes and the birdlife just went wild….thousands of our brand of pelican just bred as if they were having a party! Our numbers had been declining too, but not now.
The thought of the Pelicans mooning gives me a chuckle. Pelicans are such cool birds. I enjoy them when we go to Florida. I enjoyed your haiku.
The pigeons like to try it on outside my window 😉 Nice shots 🙂
Everytime I come visit my eyes drink in the beauty, art and wonder of your work. Thank you. Sharon
Wonderful! Oh I’d love to visit there!
Beautiful pictures!
And thank you for this very educational post 🙂
Wonderful shots. I love the last one with just the feathered tails visible in the photo.
Absolutely stunning, words and pictures!! 🙂
Christine
Just love the mooning water fowl! Migration is such a great way in springtime to meet the “M” challenge! Kudos!
Beautiful post as always my friend Thumbs up 🙂
Wow. I’ve never seen these birds for real. You are blessed. And I love the humour, Fergie. thank you for your kind comments on my site!
Excellent shots. 😉
Amazing photos and your haiku are perfect! 🙂
Feathered migration – hi Fergie, I would like to join – and my cat too …
Your Words go perfectly with the photos.
I love the mooners!
well I really like both!
)0(
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The idea of the seagull group mooning is such fun! And I love the capture of the pelicans flying off the water and shot.
As always, you haikus are splendid too, Fergiomoto!
Great photos – thanks for sharing. I’ve never seen pelicans in the wild (only at the zoo), so your photos were a real treat for me.
Gorgeous!
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