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  • Butch627

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    Jan 3, 2012
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    NWI
    I was visiting a friend and passed a lake with a flock of white pelicans on it in South Lake County. He says they have been there a few days and no one has ever seen them there before. I watched them for a while and it was very interesting. There are geese and blue herons around them just watching them. When one Pelican goes off by itself 3 or 4 geese are shadowing it. It is a very surreal scene, those Pelicans are huge. Are they seen anywhere else in the area or common passing through Indiana?
     

    Snapdragon

    know-it-all tart
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    36   0   0
    Nov 5, 2013
    38,771
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    NW Indiana
    I was visiting a friend and passed a lake with a flock of white pelicans on it in South Lake County. He says they have been there a few days and no one has ever seen them there before. I watched them for a while and it was very interesting. There are geese and blue herons around them just watching them. When one Pelican goes off by itself 3 or 4 geese are shadowing it. It is a very surreal scene, those Pelicans are huge. Are they seen anywhere else in the area or common passing through Indiana?

    I saw that someone had posted those yesterday. I've never seen them around here.
     

    Dead Duck

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    Apr 1, 2011
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    I wouldn't call White Pelicans rare, just not all that common to see.

    z7VZuwa.jpg
     

    BigBoxaJunk

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    Feb 9, 2013
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    East-ish
    We see them in Canada all summer long. They hang out near the popular shore-lunch spots to get the walleye scraps.

    I don't think I've ever seen one in Indiana. Pretty sure they winter along the southern US coast and Mexico. Probably possible to see them in any lake in between there and Canada during the migration.

    I regularly see Loons here in Indiana in spring and fall.
     

    AtTheMurph

    SHOOTER
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    Jan 18, 2013
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    Not many migrate through Indiana but some do. Saw some at Goose Pond a few years ago. More common W of Indiana and I do know that some summer in Wisconsin at Horicon Marsh. I frequently see them in SW Florida in the winter.
     

    tallpaulr

    Plinker
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    Apr 19, 2013
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    I work with Wildlife and they have done studies that show white pelicans can fly 200ish miles or more to fish and return to a nesting site to feed babies. thats what happens when they find walleye tags from a lake 245miles away in a pile of poo
     

    Butch627

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    Jan 3, 2012
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    NWI
    They have been at this lake for well over a week and are most interesting to watch. My guess is they are in some sort of a courtship phase as there seems to be a lot of pairing up and mingling. There is a large flock of cormorants or loons or ?? that are also on the lake and those birds seem to be hanging out with the Pelicans. People on the lake are wondering if there will be any fish left in the lake soon with all the new inhabitants.
     

    Mark 1911

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    Jun 6, 2012
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    Schererville, IN
    I've been working up in Minnesota near Redwing, the power plant where I work is located on the Mississippi River. There are a couple of large lakes there formed by the Mississippi, I drive past Sturgeon Lake on my way to work. I had noticed some large white birds a couple of times from a distance, and just assumed that they were swans. But last week they were closer to shore and I realized they were white pelicans, not swans. First time I've ever seen white pelicans. The pelicans I've seen in on the Florida and Texas coasts are darker in color. Quite a large population of bald eagles here as well.
     

    Sniper 79

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    Oct 7, 2012
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    Yes I live near Lake Dale. Was passing by and my kids in the back yelled pelican. Thought they were joking at fist then I looked. Pelicans out the butt with loons geese and cranes.
     

    mom45

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    Nov 10, 2013
    47,141
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    NW of Sunshine
    They have been at Jasper Pulaski Game Preserve for a few weeks. I saw the DNR posted today about one that had been killed somewhere (I believe in the southern part of the state) recently.
     

    Dead Duck

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    Apr 1, 2011
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    These aren't white but they're definitely Conservative Pelicans...

    [video=youtube;MGBjIXMD_0s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGBjIXMD_0s[/video]
     

    GoBoilers!

    Marksman
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    11   0   0
    Sep 2, 2008
    211
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    The first time I ever seen them in Indiana was two weeks ago, at Potato Creek State Park, between Plymouth and South Bend. There were about a half dozen at that time. A birdwatcher friend has seen them at Salamonie too.

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    GB!
     
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