White Pelicans were recently seen at Bodega Bay and photographed by Carolyn André

American White Pelicans, big white birds with black on the undersides of their wings, were seen at Bodgea Bay. Carolyn André had her camera and took this photo.

I sent Carolyn's photo to Richard Kuehn and he wrote, “Those are indeed American White Pelicans in the center with Double-crested Cormorants in the front near the river. We’ve had quite a few Double-crested Cormorants on Gualala Point Island recently, as they leave their primarily inland breeding locales and come to the coast in the Fall and Winter. And if you look in the upper left of the pelicans, there are a fair number of Terns.”

White Pelicans breed inland and it's always nice to see the first groups return to the Coast. They eat mainly fish. They don't plunge dive from the air like the Brown Pelicans; they dip their heads under the water to scoop up fish.

To hear the call of a White Pelican, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_white_pelican/sounds

Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photo with you here.