When a Pen Loves a Gander . . .

Posted on February 5, 2015 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Last year, K discovered something amazing: White Rock Lake’s mute swan, Katie, aka Lady Katherine, was mating with a goose called Patches. Willingly mating. Happily mating. In fact, Lady Katherine was usually the aggressor.

K was horrified that a swan would fuck a goose. She ended up deleting the pics she took of Lady Katherine and Patches mating because she was so grossed out. Luckily, I had witnessed a couple of their sexual encounters from last year and got some pics to document that it happened.

I wondered if they would rekindle their relationship this year. While Patches and Lady Katherine were getting it on last year, Patches was mated to a female goose called Annie with whom he socialized and had sexual encounters. Annie and Patches are still together.

Apologies for the blurriness in the thumbnails; goddamned WordPress is STILL compressing and framing my pictures strangely, despite some changes Q made.

Two geese drinking from a puddle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Annie (left) and Patches (right) drinking together from a puddle on January 23, 2015.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) walking in the park at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

THE OTHER WOMAN.

On January 13, I was hanging out with Mister Mary Mack by the shore at Sunset Bay. It was cold outside—I’m not sure if the temperature even got to 40. Throughout the afternoon I watched the pelicans fly in and swim to the marshy spit where they loaf on cold days. When there were lulls in the pelican action, I watched the geese. Cutie Pie, the Ross’s goose that joined the goose flock at White Rock Lake, climbed out of the water and preened, and Lady Katherine waddled into the water and swam away.

Ross's goose (Anser rossii) preens at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Cutie Pie is so adorable.

Ross's goose (Anser rossii) scratches herself at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh! She’s itchy, too!

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) squabble on a loafing site at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

When the pelicans loaf on the marshy spit, which is small and narrow, established pelicans often gape and snap at newcomers who have to step through a dense crowd of sleeping and preening pelicans to find a spot for themselves.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) arrives at a loafing area at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

After weeks of wandering through the jungle, I happened upon a clearing where I saw the strangest sights . . .

I peered far out into the water.

Goose mating with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Yep, that’s a swan with a goose on top of her. And she’s not giving him a piggyback ride.

Settle back, readers, and prepare to bask in the wonders of interspecies copulation. This is HARDCORE birdie action.

Lady Katherine and Patches started mating last year in late winter. At one point in time K saw them mating almost daily. I recorded two instances of their coupling in two days in late March of 2014.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and goose engage in pre-copulatory display before mating at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Here Lady Katherine and Patches are engaged in courtship and pre-copulatory displays, respectively. Later incidents from this year are better documented in regard to their flirting.

Goose attempts to mount mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Lady Katherine plays hard-to-get, surging forward as Patches attempts to mount her.

Goose mounts mute swan (Cygnus olor) and attempts copulatory activity at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Jesus, where the fuck do you focus when this is what you’re seeing?

Well, he’s at least a little closer to, er, sealing the deal.

Is Patches successfully penetrating Lady Katherine? I’m not sure. Sometimes it does not appear to be so, but that’s not surprising; I doubt any bird achieves success every time that sex is attempted. Patches does seem to know that he has to back up much further than he would with another goose, but as you can see in the last pic, he has to negotiate around Lady Katherine’s large tail, which makes the situation more difficult. I have witnessed Lady Katherine engaging in some post-copulatory displays, and I definitely have witnessed Patches in such displays, but I don’t know if geese or swans display after successful copulation or if they do so even after attempted but unsuccessful copulation. A couple of times I saw Patches’s pseudopenis still extended after he disengaged from Lady Katherine, but again, I don’t know whether that means penetration was successful or if he had been preparing for penetration but did not succeed. I don’t remember if Patches displayed after either of the attempts I recorded last year, but I do remember that once Patches dismounted after this attempt, he chomped Lady Katherine’s neck.

They were back at it the next day.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and goose engage in courtship/pre-copulatory displays before mating at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Annie, suspicious of Patches’s claim that he and Lady Katherine were just “going for a swim,” decided to follow them.

Goose attempts to mount a mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

All aboard the S.S. EWWWWWWW!

Goose attempts copulatory activity with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Patches? What the fuck are you doing?!

Sadly for Annie, Patches was not yet ready to leave.

The mating sequences from 2015 will be displayed after the cut.

Continue reading →

Technical Note

Featured

Posted on December 28, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

WordPress is automatically compressing my pictures very strangely and making them appear blurry. If you see a blurry pic being displayed, you can access the non-compressed pic by clicking on it.

Q has tried to modify the template I’m using to fix the problem, but it’s still messing up. Soon I will try to install some different templates to see if I can fix the problem that way.

Ross’s Goose: First-Ever Sighting for Me, December 28, 2014

Posted on December 28, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

K and I were hanging out at Sunset Bay, near the shore log, at White Rock Lake on Sunday afternoon. We were hoping some pelicans would fly in. The majority of the pelicans that were already there were crowded together in the marshy spit, where all they could do was preen and occasionally jab at each other if another bird annoyed them.

Geese started climbing out of the water. As K and I backed up to make room for them, we noticed a small white bird that was standing on the shore near a group of coots. It was almost entirely white except, like a pelican, for black flight feathers. Its throat was furrowed like Mister Mary Mack’s, which made me think it was a goose. But it was so small! It was only a little larger than a coot.

The bird had a very high-pitched chirp. K wondered it it were a juvenile of some type. I didn’t think so; although the bird was small, it didn’t have the awkward look of some juveniles, like the teenaged White Rock Lake geese.

When the mystery bird went into the water again, it spent most of its time around the geese.

I went home to get Q. I checked my bird books and decided that the bird had to be a Ross’s goose, although the bird I saw seemed smaller than the typical size indicated for a Ross’s goose. But it could be nothing else. Later I read that females tend to be smaller than males.

By the time Q and I returned to Sunset Bay, the Ross’s goose was hovering in the very shallow water right by the shore. When the geese in the water went back onto land to eat grain that had been laid out for them, she went right up there with them. She didn’t seem to be afraid of people—she didn’t seek them out, but their proximity didn’t faze her. She should have been more afraid of the other geese—they kept biting at her, and she had to weave through them to get access to the grain without getting hurt too badly.

The geese migrated back into the water and swam to the land by the dock where the pelicans like to loaf. She joined them, getting up on the dirt and foraging for greens.

Juveniles are supposed to have a stripe around their eye, and she has one that is somewhat faint. So K was right: the goose probably is still a juvenile.

She is probably a migrant and will be gone tomorrow, but Q and I were pleased that we got to see a brand-new bird, for us. Such a cute one, too!

Juvenile female Ross's goose (Chen rossii) relaxing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Who’s a little cutie-pie? Ross’s goose! That’s who!

S21 Has Returned!

Posted on December 22, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Today was supposed to be much sunnier and warmer than the past several days, so I went out to the lake to see what was going on. Unfortunately, a lot of other people had the same idea. A gullnado swirled around the dock as people tossed bread up into the air, not caring that the wind was causing the bread to change directions and pelt others standing nearby.

After about thirty minutes, I noticed a small group of pelicans soaring over the bay. They descended very quickly. As I tracked a juvenile coming down, I noticed she had a green tag on her wing. “Maybe a Minnesota bird,” I thought, but then I saw a second tag on her other wing. “A Salt Lake City bird! I haven’t seen one of those since S21!”

Then I saw the writing on the tag: UT12S21.

S21 had returned!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swims after landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

DID YOU MISS ME? I WOULD HAVE MISSED ME.

S21 was not my favorite pelican from last year, but she was one hell of a firecracker. I am looking forward to watching her antics if she stays at Sunset Bay.

Q and I had wondered if S21 would be back. She stayed for so long last year. Of course, we didn’t know where she would be going in the spring and where she might end up again in the fall. And she was a first-year pelican, and first-year pelicans have high mortality rates. We both really wish that the Bird Banding Laboratory would allow people who have reported a bird to access other reports about the same bird to see where else it has been sighted. It would be awesome to follow S21’s journey away from White Rock Lake and her return.

Welcome back, S21! I hope you stay!

Wood Storks at Richland Creek WMA: July 2014

Posted on December 22, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

This was the second time Q and I went out to Richland. The first time Q had been very nervous. We had just taken a trip to the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, which was not at all fruitful. Q was worried that we would repeat that experience. Richland was also a much farther drive than John Bunker Sands, and he really didn’t want to go all that way for a bust.

He started feeling better after we saw the bald eagle. And the anhingas. And all of the wood storks.

We went back two weeks later, which was this visit.

We saw over a hundred pelicans loafing on the shores of the wetland cells and swimming in the shallow water. Only a few of them were adults. Not needing to fly north to breed, perhaps some of the juveniles wintering down south decide to bum around the area until it was time to fly further south for the winter.

Juvenile American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fly overhead at Richland Creek WMA in Fairfield, Texas

We’re gonna poop on the loafing logs at White Rock Lake! Richland WMA pellies RULE!

The wood storks were the stars of this visit. Q and I were able to get closer than we had on our first visit. They perched on trees and stood on the roads that crossed over the cells.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) standing on a road at Richland Creek WMA in Fairfield, Texas

See a stork walkin’ down the street. She’s just the kind of stork that I’d like to meet. It ain’t her head, her claws, her feet. It’s something much more discreet . . .

There’s a wood stork on the road. And she would really like a toad. All toads on holiday: let your tadpoles play. If you let this stork walk by, sweet family will die. Wood stork on the road.

Occasionally we would have to drive on roads filled with wood storks, great egrets, snowy egrets, American white ibises, cattle egrets, neotropic cormorants, anhingas, and herons. They would amble away from the car, and when we got too close, they would fly several yards further down the road. When we caught up with them again, they would repeat their actions: amble and fly. We were never able to get close enough for good sharp pics, but I’d rather not get too close than seriously freak out the wild birds.

WHY IS THAT HUGE WHITE COW COMING TOWARD ME?

A large number of wood storks were roosting in trees near the rookery. They are such weird-looking birds. I remember how I described them to Q before he saw one in real life: it’s got the head of a black vulture, the beak of an ibis, and the body of a pelican.

Wood storks (Mycteria americana) and American white ibises (Eudocimus albus) perch in a tree at Richland Creek WMA in Fairfield, Texas

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: some wood storks in a dead tree.

Hey, ibises! Lookin’ good! How about we all go for a nice flight around the swamp?

Wood storks (Mycteria americana) and an American white ibis (Eudocimus albus) perch in a tree at Richland Creek WMA in Fairfield, Texas

Despite Elena’s overwhelming desire to be a ballerina, she could never master first position.

Wood storks (Mycteria americana) perch in a tree at Richland Creek WMA in Fairfield, Texas

Juvenile male shovelers think that they are badasses? We will disabuse them of that notion!

Ewww, is that wood stork STILL creeping on us? Let’s go find another tree.

The rookery was on private land that abutted the WMA’s land. Cormorants, anhingas, and all kind of egrets nested there. Although we didn’t think they nested successfully, there were also a few roseate spoonbills!

It was Q’s first time to see a roseate spoonbill. I had seen some at Merritt Island, and I had briefly seen one flying in a flock of ibises on our first visit to Richland.

Right as we were about to leave, a turkey vulture landed near the road. She was only there for a couple of minutes before a mockingbird harassed her so intensely that she took off.

We will have to go back sometime this winter and see who is there.

Flapping and Fun: October 16, Part 4

Posted on December 11, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Although it wasn’t a windy day, a pelican out in the water was having difficulty keeping her balance as she scratched her head. I laughed at her as she kept adjusting her wings to stay balanced. American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) scratching at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) scratching at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Breathing is overrated, anyway.

The pelican who had been frightened away from the Log of Status was out stomping through the water. She tried to take off but was unable to do so successfully and floundered before getting back on her feet again.

American white pelican swims at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Fuck this “walking” thing; it takes too damned long. I’m gonna swim!

She eventually made her way closer to shore, stopped, and began to preen.

American white pelican finishes flapping at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

But Mom, I’m only going to be out playing for a little while. Do I really have to wear five sweaters?

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) grooms with her wings held out at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I CAN’T PUT MY WINGS DOWN!

The pelican who had successfully challenged her for the Queen of the Log position had just made a startling discovery.

American white pelican pulls out a feather while grooming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Did this come out of me?

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps while standing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Here she resembles a Willie Stark–like politician soaking up the introductory applause before she begins a good ol’ rabble-rousin’ speech.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) preens its neck feathers at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

And now the Queen will do her imitation of her stuffy, out-of-it, non-populist political opponent.

Further out past the Queen of the Log log, pelicans who were lackadaisically hunting found some trash to play with. The younger bird seemed to enjoy swimming with the paper in her pouch, which I’ve seen a lot of birds doing when they are playing with trash out in the water.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a crumpled piece of trash at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Who said I would have to eat my words?

Then there were the soda bottle pelicans.

First there was only one, who kept trying over and over and over again to pick up the bottle. Her attempts attracted a nearby pelican to also investigate.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) try to play with a soda bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Come play with us, pelicansrulegullsdrool. Forever, and ever, and ever.

The second pelican managed to get a hold of the bottle by floating it into her pouch.

Luckily for the first pelican, the second pelican’s success was short lived.

Maria, I was here first! C’mon, give me a turn!

The first pelican’s luck abruptly changed, and she was able to take possession of the bottle.

How the hell do humans drink out of this thing?!

OH NO IT DISAPPEARED!

Both pelicans searched for the bottle again, but after several seconds the second pelican got bored and started to swim away. The first pelican was able to retrieve the bottle one last time and even tried to toss it into the air from her pouch, despite its weight.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a soda bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Another bird tried to play with an old beer can. I think it might have been the same bird who was playing with the paper, but I don’t have any way to verify my belief.

What else was going on?

Three American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) loafing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Lillian decided that Constance and Taliah’s interpretation of Biff’s final confrontation with his father Willie was too dour and needed a burlesque striptease to liven it up.

Then I saw some action, but surprisingly, it wasn’t on the Queen of the Log log.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) squabble over a favored loafing spot at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

If there is a pelican equivalent for “looking down one’s nose” at someone, the bird who retained her position is totally embodying it.

The first pelican who had been playing with the soda bottle wandered off and had a good flap.

American white pelican flaps her wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Constance, Taliah, can I join your theater group? Watch this: “Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” Am I in, or am I in?

On the 15th I had noticed a new bird with a red wing tag. Based on the color and shape of the tag, I figured that she was from the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho—I had seen a pelican the past year with a tag the same color and shape who turned out to be from there. The problem was that I could only see two characters on the bird’s tag: 5J. There were three characters on the tag of the bird I’d seen the year before. The tag seemed to be tucked under the bird’s wing, and I just couldn’t read if there was another character. I hoped the bird would flap so that maybe the action would let the tag swing freely and I’d be able to read the whole code.

Success!

5J1, an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) originally from the Minidoka WMR in Idaho, perches on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She grew up in a Minidoka town, had an egg-layin’ Mama, who hunted all around. But she grew up tall, and she grew up white, with those Minidoka birds on a Minidoka night.

5J1 did indeed originate from Minidoka. She was a second-year bird, hatched in 2013.

She flew down here, at an age before 3. She blew the birds away, was more than they’d seen.

At some point in time the Queen of the Log log had been vacated. Although I hadn’t seen the bird leave, I did see when a new bird arrived.

When I left to go home, I noticed a cute little squirrel hanging around near the dock. She would stand up to reach a plant stalk, drag it to the ground, and nibble on whatever seeds or leaves that she liked.

The next post or two will probably not be about pelicans to give myself and any readers a break, and then I will resume posting about the Migration Madness.

Flapping and Fun: October 16, Part 3

Posted on December 11, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Dread Pirate Roberts had finished her bath and moved slightly closer to the dock to finish grooming.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps its wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

It’s the Dread Pirate Roberts show! Starring Dread Pirate Roberts! Watch Pirate stand!

Watch Pirate flap!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing in water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Watch Pirate show off her Halloween costume as a plague doctor!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) grooming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Watch Pirate groom!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swimming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Watch Pirate get sick of this shit and swim to the Shore Log!

As Pirate performed her repertoire, Lady Katherine completed a grooming session and capped it off by rising out of the water with a full-flap.

Lady Katherine doesn’t always flap after grooming, but she has done it enough that K used to watch her very carefully every time she groomed.

A female mute swan (Cygnus olor) flaps her wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Thank you for fitting into the frame, Lady K!

When she descends with her wings held out like that, the flight feathers remind me of the fingers on the white gloves of mimes.

I went over to the Shore Log to continue watching Dread Pirate Roberts. She had hopped on near the end of the log and was grooming. The other pelicans on the log were just hanging out.

A funny thing about allopreening among pelicans: almost every time I’ve seen it, the preener was preening a sleeping pelican. Often the pelican being preened would wake up and be pissed off that it was being touched.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) preens another pelican as they loaf on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Maybe pelicans are the creepers of the avian world.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps its wings as it stands next to another pelican at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Dread Pirate Roberts is pretending to be Olivia Newton John’s Grease character singing in the Shake Shack; the pelican involuntarily cast as John Travolta, however, does not think that she’s the one that he wants.

I went back to the dock.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flapping wings while standing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She looks like she was interrupted while plotting something and is now plotting against whoever interrupted her.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I love the way the water looks as it surges up from the splashing pelican.

The log pelican began to groom. Pelicans look so silly and adorable when they rub their heads against their preen glands.

Not all was peaceful in the land of the pelicans, however. From the distant waters came a challenger for the Queen of the Log position.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) snaps at a rival pelican at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

No way! Fuck off!

Flapping really seems to be a response to aggressive/frightening situations, at least based upon what I’ve seen. Challengers will flap; winners of a challenge will flap; losers of a challenge will often flap. When a noise or something frightens the pelicans and they stiffen up and go into alert mode, some will begin to flap.

Sometimes challengers will flap but then settle down after another pelican threatens to jab them. I really thought that the challenger was going to settle down and start preening after her vigorous flap. That wasn’t what happened.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) jumps onto an already occupied log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh, she went for it!

I am amazed at how high pelicans can jump when they need to.

At least the power transfer is peaceful.

The challenger immediately went into a flapping frenzy, then began to preen.

The loser, too, flapped vigorously.

The pelican Schmendrick: “Magic, do as you will!”

Now she poses as though she is a figurehead on the prow of a ship.

The new Queen of the Log pelican flapped again and roused her feathers, secure in the knowledge that no bird in Part 4 would challenge her position.

Flapping and Fun: October 16, Part 2

Posted on November 29, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

The Queen of the Log pelican decided that she was willing to share her log with another worthy bird. Unfortunately, that did not reflect well on the pelican snoozing nearby.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and American coot (Fulica americana) stand together on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Meet Rebecca and Svetlana, the stars of TV’s newest blockbuster comedy about a very strange couple that just moved into the neighborhood: Pelican and Coot.

Further out in the bay, two geese had just finished taking turns dipping their heads in the water for foreplay and were ready to get down to business.

Geese attempt to mate at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Hey, what are you doing? I’m supposed to be the one biting you!

Wait, now I’m confused. I thought I was supposed to bite you; you’re not supposed to bite me!

OW! Goddammit, forget this. I’m outta here.

Okay, I’m trying to be outta here.

The male was happy to terminate the mating attempt when he realized he could get a free ride around the bay by letting the female drag him.

The Queen of the Log got bored with her position and decided to move on.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) steps off a log to swim at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I abdicate my position in order to be with my one true love . . . FISHIE!

Two pelicans had been swimming together around the bay, occasionally plunging their heads underwater to hunt for fish. They came across a piece of trash and squabbled over who got to play with it.

The pelican who was unable to get to the trash slowly moved on, and her partner abandoned the trash in order to keep up.

Then the pelican who had tried playing with the trash discovered an even better toy.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a stick at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oooh! Look what I found!

A brief note about play: Justice Stewart’s aphorism about pornography also works when trying to describe what appears to be object-oriented play among the pelicans. Some instances of play are very obvious, but some are not. Repetition is a good indicator that the pelican is playing, but what about when there is only one incident? In this case, the pelican appeared as though she were purposefully engaging with a useless object, and she had done the same thing with the orange piece of trash just a few minutes before finding the stick. I’ve seen some pelicans, when they are in a playful mood, pick up object after object after object to drop and toss around.

I am Donatello of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Pellies! Check out the awesome moves I can do with my bo!

I WILL SAVE YOU, APRIL O’NEIL!

What, Michelangelo? You think you should be the one to rescue April O’Neil? Fuck you! I will fucking beat you with my bo!

Yeah, you’re scared. That’s right. I know you’re scared.

“Oh no, it’s Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Pellies! I’ve heard she can take out five Foot Soldiers with one swing!”

Hmmm. This is much more difficult to swing than I thought it would be.

So, Shredder. We meet at last.

Take THAT, fucker! Oh yeah! You’re scared; I know it!

She swam over to where the stick had landed. I thought she was going to look for it, but when her companion started swimming toward her, she abandoned what might have been her search and decided to crown herself Queen of the Log.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) jumps onto a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Weeeeeeee!

Perhaps inspired by the Queen of the Log’s play behavior, a different pelican picked up a stick, although she didn’t seem very interested in it. That is not atypical for play behavior: nearby pelicans watching the play can get interested enough that they try to pick up nearby objects and manipulate them. Most of the time, like with this bird, they lose interest quickly. But not always.

I went to the shore to see what was going on over there. Several pelicans were trying to figure out a way onto the prime loafing areas without encountering too much resistance.

Four American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Room for two more? Okay, fine; fuck that other pelican. Room for one more?

Three American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) stand on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

All right, there, partner: you can stay this time. But next time . . .

I went back to the dock, where a pelican was splashing up a storm as she bathed.

A pelican played with the same bit of trash that a different pelican had found a couple of days earlier.

Another pelican made a mighty leap onto a high-up section of log, got attacked, panicked, and jumped forward off the log into the water. They would have been lovely pictures except I had the exposure set way too dark. Oh well.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swims away after jumping off a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

But now that exposure level works okay, doesn’t it, pelicansrulegullsdrool?

A pelican that had been swimming suddenly stopped, stood up, and flapped mightily.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flapping at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

After a stirring performance Tamara was awarded first prize in the “air hula-hoop” contest.

Perhaps she was flapping to psych herself up for a confrontation, because after she sank back into the water she steamed toward the Queen of the Log log.

Out past the Queen of the Log log, Dread Pirate Roberts was bathing vigorously.

Sure enough, the swimming pelican reached the Queen of the Log log, paused, and launched herself into the air.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight for access to a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Holy shit! She just drop-kicked that pelican!

The pelican who was kicked managed to stay on the log.

You drop-kicked the mighty Donatello, then you stepped on her foot? YOU SHALL PAY.

When both of the birds were balanced together on the log, I thought they might settle down and share. I underestimated the original pelican’s dedication to keep the log to herself.

WATCH THIS, APRIL O’NEIL!

I may no longer have my bo, but I am a mighty warrior with the BEAK!

Watching them fight was like watching an arm wrestler slowly but steadily force an opponent’s arm down.

I’m losing? This isn’t right!

The pelican who lost looks like a cranky infant who was just put down into her crib when she still wants to be out playing.

The pelican who lost suddenly decided that she was going to fly somewhere far, far away. Then the pelicans of White Rock Lake would be sorry.

Part 3 will include more flapping, another fight, and much more Dread Pirate Roberts action.

Flapping and Fun: October 16, Part 1

Posted on November 28, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Last fall, Q and I had the good luck to be at Sunset Bay at several different times when waves of pelicans would land. A large group would suddenly appear very high above the bay, and the birds would slowly spiral down on the thermals. When the group got low enough, individual birds would begin raining down into the water. Sometimes all of the birds in a group would land, but usually only some of the group landed while the rest flew back up on the thermals and moved on. Sometimes birds on the ground would fly up on the thermals and move on with the other pelicans.

When new birds land, there is great potential for excitement: birds bathing, exploring their new environment, fighting with other birds for the best loafing locations, etc.

I was still seeing scissor-tailed flycatchers in the area, and when I arrived at the lake on the 16th, I saw one hanging out in a tree near a small field.

Several pelicans were swimming around the bay, exploring. Almost immediately a pelican forced another pelican off a slightly elevated loafing area, then stole her position.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) leaps onto a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I didn’t want it, anyway. HARUMPH!

The usurping pelican beat her wings in triumph.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps her wings after jumping onto a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

MINE!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) beats her wings after jumping on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Whew! That felt good!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) stands on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

What are you looking at, human?

The pelican stood there for less than two minutes before deciding that the area just wasn’t good enough for her.

I thought she would swim around until she found a better log to jump up onto, but I was in for a surprise. She took off right there from the water!

The pelican she had initially kicked off the log also got in on the action.

The pelican who had taken off first didn’t fly very far, and I tracked her as she went by.

I looked around to see what else was going on around the bay.

Don’t mind me.

Then I noticed some familiar activity out on a log.

Yes, I definitely knew what was going to happen next!

American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight while standing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I AM GOING TO EAT YOUR FACE!

GAH! What the fuck is wrong with you?

How do you like it, asshole?!

The attacked pelican was able to hold her ground and go back to preening. Sometimes when pelicans are hanging out, one bird will attack another for seemingly no reason.

A different bird engaged in a good flapping fit nearby. I love seeing the way they move their wings and what their wings look like in different positions.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps her wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Right as Lulu stepped on stage to begin her audition, she realized that she had wet herself.

MAYBE IF I FLAP REALLY HARD, I CAN DRY OUT AND NO ONE WILL NOTICE.

A sleepy pelican drifted by the Queen of the Log. She looked like a big floating marshmallow.

And a juvenile was stretched out, scratching.

I looked up and noticed a flock of pelicans overhead. Yes! This was the action I’d been hoping for! There were at least twenty birds in the flock, and all of them landed. Unfortunately, they landed out past the far-away logs, but they did eventually start swimming in to interact with the existing birds.

A new bird waddled up to the Queen of the Log pelican. I waited for her to jump on or for the pelican on the log to snap at her. Instead, the intruding pelican began to preen. Nooooo!

A juvenile attempted to explore and conquer the log that a different juvenile had experienced difficulty with the day before.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) tries to keep her balance on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

And everyone said this log is so difficult to loaf on! You just need to step carefully . . .

. . . and get the other foot up on there.

I’ve got it!

Uh-oh.

No; this can’t be happening! I told EVERYONE how easy it was going to be to stay on the log!

I got it, everyone! Nothing to worry about! Go on back to hunting! Nothing to see here!

GODDAMMIT, THEY’RE ALL STILL WATCHING ME.

The juvenile’s brave attempts to conquer the log ultimately ended in a SPLASH. She swam over to the Stump and seemed to be debating whether she wanted to jump on when she decided to move along.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) relax at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

OH MY GOD, JUVENILE, HOW ARE YOU MISSING PART OF YOUR BODY?

Another pelican posed on the Shore Log.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) loafing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Do you find me mysterious? I am trying to pose mysteriously.

Part 2 will be up soon, with more flapping and another fight.

Good News and Bad News

Posted on November 26, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

The good news is that today, the 25th, about thirty new pelicans landed at the lake, and a few of them began to play in the late afternoon. At one point four separate birds were exhibiting play behavior, which made me frazzled when I kept having to watch each one of them and decide who to photograph. An embarrassment of riches!

The bad news is, that’s even MORE pics that I will eventually have to go through, and I haven’t even started posting pics from the play sessions last month. I am not at all disciplined in my picture-taking, and almost every day I go out my backlog of pics grows by at least several hundred. In the next couple of days I will start posting pics from the mid-October migration madness.

The pelicans found, among many other objects, a child’s ball and an old, sodden tennis ball and had a grand time playing with them.

Another bit of good news: a bird that is rare for this area made an appearance! I was out on the dock at Sunset Bay late in the afternoon when Ben, another Dallas-based photographer and blogger whom I’ve mentioned before, showed up. He was watching ducks fly in as we were talking, and he noticed a white-faced ibis flying near them. He was able to track where she landed and take pics. I also got some pics of her grooming. The ibis was there for maybe ten minutes before she took off, circled a small area of the bay a few times—Ben thought she was looking for a better place to settle down for the night—and eventually landed behind a line of tall grasses.

I’m not sure what she was doing so far north at this time of year, but I was very, very glad to see her!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) tosses a ball in its beak in play at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I’m glad I found this ball!

The Pelican Can

If it fits in my pouch, I can eat it!

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