• Midweek Photo: Pelican In Jamaica Bay


    by on Jul 21st, 2010

    Photo courtesy of frogma.blogspot.com, edited by Sheepshead Bites

    OMG! Al Gore was right! Nature is mad and we’re ALL GOING TO DIE!

    Okay, maybe that’s a little overkill. But, crickie, a pelican in Jamaica Bay?! Was it trying to escape the oily sea of destruction and misery that was once known as the Gulf of Mexico? Are temperatures making it warm enough that it’s finding New York City a comfortable habitat? Is it just lost?

    Actually, according to this bird-watching website, the American White Pelican – one of the largest birds on the east coast – do make occasional stops in New York State, but rarely do city birders have a chance to see them. This guy was first spotted in the Queens section of Jamaica Bay last week, and was still observed to be there over the weekend.

    I’m no birdwatcher, but the idea of seeing a pelican in Jamaica Bay gets me a little giddy; it’s a beautiful bird and it’d be cool to get into Queens and check it out.

    Here’s another photo of the same pelican from 10000birds.com. You can check out their site for even more images:

    Update: This story originally included four photos from 10000birds.com. At the request of that site’s owner we’ve reduced the number to one. Head over there for more images; it’s a worthwhile click.

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    • http://www.njluxurymotors.com Arthur Borko

      Am I bad person because I want to BBQ and eat that sucker?

    • http://10000birds.com Corey

      @Sheepshead Bites: Asking for and getting permission to use my photos would be the right thing to do. You have a nice site but taking four photos and reposting them without permission is not fair use.

      I appreciate the link and all but, please, moving forward, ask permission and wait for me to grant it before using my work.

    • Local Broker

      look at the pelicans fly, fly pelicans

    • Georgia

      This is something else. He is so beautiful. I never saw a pelican in our neighborhood.
      He is having a great time near Sheepshead Bay I am sure we all welcome them

    • brightonresident

      Ye we all welcome them, unless they decide to build an out of character building where it does not belong. LOL

    • http://www.nedberke.com Ned Berke

      Zing!

      (I was in Jonathan's Bakery getting my b-fast when I got this comment on my phone. People were staring at me because of how hard I laughed.)

    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanne001 Lisanne!

      You really want an answer for that one?

      Bad Arthur. Very Bad Arthur.

      Go eat some cute bunnies instead. Rabbits are mean.

    • PayPaul

      I wouldn't go that far with this Corey. It is, in my opinion, discourteous but not a higher violation of copyright or fair use. The editor does give you a promotion for your website and credit to your photos. This is a very popular and much visited blog and it is to your benefit that your links are here. To use the phrase “courtesy of frogma..” under the first image isn't quite correct and I would certainly believe that the editor might consider the protocol of contacting individuals before posting their credited material in future.

    • PayPaul

      I hear they go good with basmati rice and diced carrots. Rabbits do as well but need to be soaked in milk to remove the gamey taste.

    • http://www.nedberke.com Ned Berke

      Readers, please do not reply to this post. I have contacted Corey with my apologies and hope to discuss the matter with him privately. We'll also try not to let this happen again. But this is not the space for a discussion about rights management. Stick to the topic, please. Thank you.

    • Ray Johnson

      Well, since you asked…

    • brooklynq

      I saw the pelican fly over the belt parkway yesterday. I thought I was seeing things.

    • Eitan

      For many years the effort to protect and enhance this bay as a wildlife refuge has been going on, could it be that its slowly, finally starting to work?

    • Andy

      I never get tired of watching pelicans in FL.. they are just so cool in pre-historical in their appearance. when my then 4 yo son saw them for the first time in flight he said they looked like pterodactyls

    • http://www.frogma.blogspot.com Bonnie13

      I couldn't quite believe I was looking at a pelican!

      Had some very jealous birder friends when I got back to the club. One of the events offered at Saturday's Sebago Canoe Club event was actually a birding paddle & yet somehow my group (who were just on a nice paddle around the bay) got the best bird of the day!

      I walked up to them afterwards & said “Hey, we saw a white pelican today.” My friend Mary said “You did NOT!” so I zoomed in on the best picture I had & they passed it around & were absolutely green with envy!

      I'm very glad we were lucky enough to stumble across the bird the way we did – it really was a wonderful, bizarre thing to spot.

      And I have to laugh because now there are at least two blogs that have made better posts out of my pelican sighting than I did (you & Gothamist). I was pooped when I got home, had to post the pictures but I didn't have the energy to think of anything much to say.

    • BrooklynBus

      You mean like those parrots who build nests on the Con Ed transformers?

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=528447725 facebook-528447725

      Very cool!!

    • http://www.njluxurymotors.com Arthur Borko

      Peliturducken!

      Pelicans aren't endangered are they?