Pensive about Brown Pelicans

Brown pelicans are fun to see along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. I was able to cautiously approach them as they swam, bathed, and flew in Winchester Bay. About 30 feet seemed to be the outer edge of their zone of sanctuary. If I moved closer than that, then they drifted farther away. The safely distant pod of pelicans socialized with a flock of seagulls. Interestingly, humans label pelican groups also as a brief, pouch, scoop, or squadron. It remains unknown what the pelicans collectively call their relations.

Pelicans in Adverse Conditions

The last time I observed and photographed brown pelicans was during the 2020 Holiday Farm fire in Oregon’s McKenzie River valley. Winds blowing from the east brought the smoke and ash into the city of Eugene. The large Archie Creek Fire was burning at the same time in Douglas County south of Eugene. The smoke converged as it spread like a brown fog through the Coast Range and then over the beaches. We ended up in hotels in Coos Bay, staying ten days. My family escaped to the coast for fresher air. It was smoky there too, but not as thick as in the valley. We limited our time outdoors. We checked the air quality several times a day. The solitary pelican in flight I saw then navigated a brown sky north of Coos Bay–the largest city on Oregon’s coast. Courtesy of smoky haze, those photos have a sepia tone.

Pelicans in California

In the summer of 2022 while traveling from Oregon to Arizona by car, I photographed pelicans in San Francisco near Sutro Heights Park. They were flying in pairs, trios, and larger groups. A large display of sand art was likely in their view if they gazed downward in their flight.

Pelicans in Oregon

In Winchester Bay this summer the skies were blue during my visit. The only gray formation was a bank of marine layer clouds on the ocean’s horizon. The pelicans seemed at peace while I photographed them. (At least I projected that abstraction on their group.) I did not see any squabbles over fish. The bathing birds were not disturbed. The air quality was good. It was perfect for a cordial gathering of kin in the shallow water that ebbed and flowed across the sand.

I liked the contrast between the pelicans who rode the waves and the pelicans who flew above the group. I knew I would process my images and then create a diptych. Seeing brown pelicans under clear skies helped me to break the connections among pelicans, wildfires, and poor air quality. Nevertheless, there was the back-of-the-mind contrast of wildfire season encroaching on the blue skies of summer. If it was not here now, it would be soon. What had been an infrequent event decades ago is now a seasonal event. That too is something to photograph, because it is conservation photography and it is environmental history.

See more bird photos on the Photography page of this website. Read more blog posts on this website.