Although the American White Pelican is commonly seen at Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge located in downtown Oakland, California, the Brown Pelican is less frequently found at this location.  The Brown Pelican used to be seen frequently off the Pacific Coast surrounding San Francisco, however during 2009-10 many of the Brown Pelicans off San Francisco's coast died off.  Innocent to the ways of the world, this young bird was quite tame, allowing us to approach fairly near in order to photograph many studies of the bird.  Below are six of them.

These pictures were first published August 23, 2011 by City Birds.
A Young Brown Pelican at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA A Young Brown Pelican at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA A Young Brown Pelican at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA
A Young Brown Pelican at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA A Young Brown Pelican at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA A Young Brown Pelican at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA

 

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