Blog Archives

Pelicans prowling around fisherman

At Long Reef in Collaroy, a fisherman was washing out his bucket. Three pelicans followed in his footsteps, hoping for some tasty morsels to fall.

The birds weren’t too worried when I approached to take some photos.

Cosying up to a pair of sandals that someone left on the beach:

With a Silver Gull, giving some idea of scale:

Three pelicans, three poses:

Surf as a backdrop:

A moody shot of fisherman and bird:

Common name: Australian Pelican
Scientific name: Pelecanus conspicillatus
Approximate length: 170 cm
Approximate wingspan: 2.5m
Date spotted: 19 June 2024 (winter)
Location: Long Reef Aquatic Reserve, Collaroy, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’19.7″S 151°18’42.0″E

Pelican at Long Reef Headland, New South Wales

The closer you get to a pelican, the more beautiful it is. Those eyes are so huge and seem so wise. Then there’s that appealing fuzz of fine feathers on the back of the head and down the neck.

Pelican

For more about these pelicans, see my post from March this year.

Common name: Australian Pelican

Scientific name: Pelecanus conspicillatus

Approximate length: 170 cm

Approximate wingspan: 2.5m

Date spotted: 1 January 2015

Season: Summer

Location: Long Reef Headland, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: 33°44’15.2″S, 151°18’44.1″E

Pelicans at Long Reef Headland, NSW

Pelicans are huge birds who look wise in a goofy way. A number of them hang out at Long Reef Headland, NSW, Australia.

Posing in front of a breaking wave:

Pelican at Long Reef

It’s odd to see such huge birds perched on lamp posts. I wonder if the engineers who designed the lamp posts catered for such a weight?

How many pelicans can you fit on a lamp post?

Pelicans-on-Lamp-Post-LongReef-23March2013 050

Zooming in:

Pelicans-on-Lamp-Post-LongReef-23March2013 048

Common name: Australian Pelican

Scientific name: Pelecanus conspicillatus

Approximate length: 170 cm

Approximate wingspan: 2.5m

Date spotted: 23 March 2014

Season: Late Summer

Location: Long Reef Headland, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: 33°44’15.2″S, 151°18’44.1″E

Finishing up with an atmospheric shot of Long Reef, showing a fisherman, a ship, and some birds:

Fisherman-Ship-LongReef-23March2013 009-trunc

White-Faced Heron at Long Reef Headland, NSW

A White-Faced Heron tiptoes across the bizarre landscape of Long Reef Headland on the New South Wales coast of Australia.  The bird shakes the seaweed with its toes, dislodging worms and small fish which it then eats.

Here’s a still photo:

White-Faced Heron

Common name: White-Faced Heron

Scientific name: Ardea novaehollandiae

Approximate length: 70 cm

Date spotted: 23 March 2014

Season: Late Summer

Location: Long Reef Headland, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: 33°44’15.2″S, 151°18’44.1″E