Instant fav! They are gorgeous birds and your photo shows them off perfectly.
Do they live in your area or are they migrating? They stop in Baton Rouge for a few days in November, but I've never been able to figure out where they are coming from or going to. Some years I see hundreds and others, only about 50. Of course, I may miss some of them. They land in the lakes near LSU which have been undergoing restoration, so it's possible that they find better places to rest some years.
@eudora Diane, they don't stay here. I've read that they spend the summer in Canada and northern United States. I've been lucky to see groups of them in rivers, marshes and lakes close to us the last few years as they travel through Iowa.
@bluemoon Paula, these are at Red Rock Dam in Pella. I saw pictures on facebook today of pelicans at Coralville Dam and in the Mississippi River near LeClaire.
Do they live in your area or are they migrating? They stop in Baton Rouge for a few days in November, but I've never been able to figure out where they are coming from or going to. Some years I see hundreds and others, only about 50. Of course, I may miss some of them. They land in the lakes near LSU which have been undergoing restoration, so it's possible that they find better places to rest some years.