With the sighting of American White Pelicans at Cowan Lake State Park yesterday, I’ve been chomping at the bit to see them first hand. Being closer to home than say Caesar Creek, it took no time to stop by the Post Office, run home to grab my gear, pick up Phil and make it up there in plenty of time.
Phil knew exactly where we need to go, since I don’t frequent Cowan Lake as much as he does. I had talked to Allan Claybon a few hours earlier to confirm their location, so without haste we arrived and set up the scope. Even from a distance you can make out their white shape as they rest on this log.
This shot was taken without any zoom applied
This shot was with the optical zoom all the way out.
This shot was when I pushed the limit of the digital zoom added to the optical zoom. Now at least you can see the shape of the birds. Their heads tucked back into their wings.
Now this is the kind of shot you can get with a kick-ass rig that Allan has. This picture courtesy of Allan Claybon.
Anyway you look at it, this is a new bird for me and I’m a very happy boy.
A Birder's Notebook 