There's no question that my favorite bird to photograph is the California Brown Pelican.  Maybe it is because of all the opportunities as there is an almost ideal location in Southern California from which to photograph them? Maybe it is because they are so pre-historic looking ... ungainly on land but oh so graceful in the air?  Maybe it is because Brown Pelicans, unlike other Pelicans, dive into the water to catch their food?  In any event, it is pretty amazing to see this large bird with a seven foot wingspan hit the water from an altitude.

Most frequently then enter the water at a shallow angle, but every once in a while, the camera catches them on 90 degree, vertical dive. That is the subject of this post. These images were all captured on a cloudy overcast morning in Novemeber.

In this first picture, the bird, with its wings fully extended, is rolling into the vertical:

And now it is vertical:

This one was a little closer to my position ... sometimes they're so close that I'm in the splash zone:

This next image happened so fast that I wasn't aware until later that it had rolled over onto its back to begin the dive:

The birds compete with each other and are often diving on the same path ... for the same fish or because the fish swim in a school? That is the case in this next image ... I've never seen a collision but they sure do get close:

Unlike most birds, Brown Pelicans do not vocalize ... at least in the audible human hearing range ... so all these maneuvers are are made in silence making it all the more remarkable that they do not collide.  It also brings up the question about if or how they communicate.

As always, thanks for looking.

Bye for now,

Adam

P.S. Don't forget to click on any image to see it in full screen!