Pelicans at Perry

   Tonight at Perry lake we saw the pelicans who are migrating through our area, ducks, geese, green herons, great blue herons, cormorants, kingfishers, and egrets. And some good friends! That's Joni and Andy alongside me.

   It was a PERFECT night to be out on the water—we were lucky the wind was so low, and the sunset so spectacular.

   We gave the pelicans a wide berth to ensure that we didn't scare them off from their evening roosting spot. Which meant that I couldn't get a good picture on my iPhone; my Canon proved to be more successful. The camera lens was great for getting a close-up of the birds, and counting them: there were at least 52 on the lake with us!

   Who knew that the pelicans came through Kansas? This was my first time hearing of them. I have to admit I was skeptical, until I saw them myself. No question, these are pelicans!!!

   Flying in to the flock's meeting spot:

    Pelicans commingling with noisy cormorants. The wingbeats of a big bunch of cormorants slapping the water as they take off in unison is sort of hilarious.

    Although the detail isn't great, I'm SO glad to have got one shot that captures the color and the impressive, impressionistic reflections on the lake!

     A skittish kingfisher let me grab a couple of blurry shots before it took off. Love these guys!

 A great egret watching us from above, as if to provide warning to his buddies on the water, should we venture too close:

   The sunset lighting was absolutely exquisite and it was KILLING me to not sneak closer to get some better shots. But with a group of around 10, the birds would not stand for that. And we didn't want to drive them from their comfort zone, in the hope that more people will be able to come out and see them before they migrate again. These photos aren't sufficient for National Geographic, but they sure make for happy memories.