American White Pelicans on Lake Mary

Last night we were sitting on the porch visiting with our good friends, Karen and Terry.  Karen spotted this pretty pelican on the lake between our neighbors dock and theirs.

I grabbed the camera and headed out to our deck to see if I could capture a shot or two.  I zoomed in as much as I could without totally blurring the image.

This guy (or gal) was just enjoying a leisurely swim.  He'd swim out a bit past the docks and then circle around and come closer to shore.

I think he (or she) might have been looking for another.

Then, I caught a photo just as he was beginning his flight...I love how you can see the splash of the water as he pushed himself into the air.

A minute or two later, we saw him with his partner...flying off into the sky.

(I've decided that this was a male and he was patiently waiting for his female partner...a romantic pelican encounter, perhaps?)  It's their mating season, I learned from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website.
It was pure luck that I caught them in flight because I was back in the porch by then and they were really moving quickly. 

So....although these photos aren't the best quality, they're certainly better than no photos!!

If you visit this DNR link you can read more about them.   It really is interesting.

There are excellent photos of the colonies in a report by researchers at The University of Minnesota.  You have to scroll down a bit and skip past the technical stuff but there are maps and photos of the American White Pelicans in Minnesota.