Pelicans are so weird ... Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday #audubon

California Brown Pelican have these incredible blue eyes in the winter. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Now that's a stretch! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha

A weird posture shows pretty markings on this California Brown Pelican. #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday #audubon

Unlike the Atlantic/Gulf variety, the California Brown Pelican gets a red pouch in winter. Both male and female get these colors, but female's pouch tend to be a bit paler. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

A juvenile California Brown Pelican preening, or showing off the wing feathers? Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Happy Belated Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Juvenile Brown Pelican landing. Birds have to brake hard when landing, they don't have wheels. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Final turn before landing. Pelicans learned to fly in the dinosaur era! Happy Pelican Friday. . #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Another pelican portrait. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Happy Black Pelican Friday. Or is it Happy Pelican Black Friday? Doesn't matter. #birds #birdportrait #pelican #sonyalpha

Happy Goofy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican flyby. Happy Pelican Friday! #pelican #birds #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Happy Scary Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

You're in my spot! Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

The wingspan of the California Brown Pelican is 6.5 to 7.5ft (2 to 2.3m) #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Hello there! #pelican #birds #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

An Oystercarcher at Point La Jolla. I like how the orange beak contrasts with the green moss. . #birds #oystercatcher #sonyalpha

California Brown Pelican are slowly getting their breeding plumage. Some colors start to show up, it for now the eyes are still brown. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Silly Pelicans! Flapping the wings hard right before landing. They are so far back it gives the impression they have short wings :-) Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican in flight. Almost perfect aerodynamics! That beak ... Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican in flight. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican about to land. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Pelicans have a pouch made of stretchy, featherless skin. They need to stretch it from time to time in order to keep it flexible and healthy. It is part of their preening routine. Happy Pelican Friday! #pelican #sonyalpha #birds #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican in flight. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Patrolling the shore. Happy Pelican Friday! #pelican #birds #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Hello there, look at all my feathers! California Brown Pelican landing on the cliffs of La Jolla Cove. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Happy Independence Pelican Friday! 😀 #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

First walk my new camera, and a Polar Pro Everyday Filter. It was a lot of fun, and I liked the softer images and blooming highlights. There is a chance the filter will stay on my lens for some time. #everydayfilter #polarpro #encinitas

Quite a commotion when this pelican landed on the cliff with food. A lot of hungry seagulls! it eventually the pelican was able swallow everything in one big gulp. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #pelicans #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Clear-eyed pelican in flight. Happy Pelican Friday! . #photography #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Taking off starts with a big push forward for this juvenile California Brown Pelican. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #photography #pelicanfriday

It's June gloom here in San Diego, overcast and drizzle in the morning. A pelican photo without a blue (ocean) background seemed appropriate. Happy Pelican Friday! #birds #photography #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelican #photography #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Last one for today. #xpan #photography #encinitas

More xpan crop experiments. #xpan #encinitas

Experimenting with a 65 x 24 crop. Had a lot of fun today. #photography #xpan #encinitas

A juvenile California Brown Pelican looking for a good landing spot on the cliffs of La Jolla Cove. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Almost deleted that shot, looked like I failed framing the bird. But it makes for a fun and very dynamic photo I think. Fun thing is the autofocus is doing a great job at continuously tracking the head of the bird, even when the wings are flapping in front of it.

Brandt's cormorant. Pretty scary bird, especially if you are a fish! #birds #cormorant #sonyalpha #photography

California Brown Pelican gliding through ... Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #photography #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Wondering what they are bickering about. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #photography #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

California Brown Pelican fly-by. Happy Pelican Friday! . #birds #pelican #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

Royal Tern in a banked turn. I find it pretty difficult to get the exposure right with these birds, they are white on a dark background, and on a sunny day it's a lot of contrast. I like the wave background on this one. . #birds #royaltern #sonyalpha #photographers

Brandt Cormorant at La Jolla Cove. That flashy blue throat is incredible! #birds #cormorant #photography #sonyalpha

California Brown Pelican looking for a landing spot. Happy Pelican Friday! #pelican #photography #birdinflight #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday

A few photos from the San Diego Botanic Garden. Had fun with the Leica Q2 macro mode. All photos are SOOC JPEG, except for cropping sometimes. #photography #flowers #leicaq2

Weird angle for a weird bird! Yes, it's a pelican! Happy Pelican Friday. #photography #birdinflight #sonyalpha #pelicanfriday