# White Birds flying in V formation at night



## 35whelen

I was sitting out back with the wife the other night and we saw bright orange clusters fade in and out across the sky. Thought maybe it was that meteor shower, but it didn't seem right. They were passing below the mountain and in V formations. Then we got out the binocs and realized they were big flocks of white birds, and they just looked to glow orange as they passed by and reflected the street lights. Probably saw a dozen formations in about 30 minutes. A few hundred birds total. They were flying from north to south. Were these pelicans? I was just curious. seemed Early for fall migration.


----------



## Chuck

probably or just a bunch of seagulls


----------



## Westernhunter

I have heard that Utah has more resident pelicans than any other state. I see them all the time!


----------



## 35whelen

I have seen them around Utah lake, but i'd never seen so many in the air at one time. It was pretty cool to watch.


----------



## ultramagfan2000

While I can't say for sure what you saw. Usually when I see a bunch of pelicans flying over UL they are usually going single file in a very long line.


----------



## Loke

Do you live between Dugway and Groom Lake?


----------



## Fowlmouth

Loke said:


> Do you live between Dugway and Groom Lake?


That's funny! Area 51  
I see plenty of Pelicans flying over I-80 and 7200 West every morning. A bunch of those ugly Cormorants too.


----------



## 35whelen

I live right in downtown Provo. They were flying so high that I could barely see wing movement with binocs. Some of the Vs were higher and barely reflected city lights and without binocs just looked like a big whispy smokey shape. Could not make out shapes of individual birds well enough to identify them. A group of 20-30 birds flew by every couple minutes for about a half hour. It was pretty spooky after the first few waves, until I figured out what they were.


----------



## shaun larsen

Westernhunter said:


> I have heard that Utah has more resident pelicans than any other state. I see them all the time!


i think its about time we push for a pelican hunt!! :twisted:


----------



## dubob

shaun larsen said:


> i think its about time we push for a pelican hunt!! :twisted:


And do what with them? 8)


----------



## shaun larsen

dubob said:


> shaun larsen said:
> 
> 
> 
> i think its about time we push for a pelican hunt!! :twisted:
> 
> 
> 
> And do what with them? 8)
Click to expand...

Same thing we do with swans, kill them for the glory photos!


----------



## dubob

shaun larsen said:


> dubob said:
> 
> 
> 
> [quote="shaun larsen":8hahe5i0]i think its about time we push for a pelican hunt!! :twisted:
> 
> 
> 
> And do what with them? 8)
Click to expand...

Same thing we do with swans, kill them for the glory photos! [/quote:8hahe5i0]
Thatillwork!


----------



## GaryFish

> I have heard that Utah has more resident pelicans than any other state. I see them all the time!


????? I'd be interested in that. Having spent considerable time in Florida, I'm not sure that would be the case. I'd guess we have a fraction of any SE coastal state.


----------



## Gee LeDouche

dubob said:


> shaun larsen said:
> 
> 
> 
> i think its about time we push for a pelican hunt!! :twisted:
> 
> 
> 
> And do what with them? 8)
Click to expand...

Same thing you do with Coots. Thin the herd. lol


----------



## shaun larsen

Gee LeDouche said:


> dubob said:
> 
> 
> 
> [quote="shaun larsen":2prarv4b]i think its about time we push for a pelican hunt!! :twisted:
> 
> 
> 
> And do what with them? 8)
Click to expand...

Same thing you do with Coots. Thin the herd. lol[/quote:2prarv4b]
Exactly!! I firmly believe we need a seagull hunt for this very reason... :twisted:


----------



## dubob

GaryFish said:


> I have heard that Utah has more resident pelicans than any other state. I see them all the time!
> 
> 
> 
> ????? I'd be interested in that. Having spent considerable time in Florida, I'm not sure that would be the case. I'd guess we have a fraction of any SE coastal state.
Click to expand...

Don't be mixing apples and oranges. 

We have white pelicans in Utah and Florida has brown pelicans. And as far as the white pelican population distribution goes, I found this quote on NatureServe.com:


> Using available data (1998-2001), King and Anderson (2005) determined that at least 27 American white pelican colonies and 48,240 nests occur east of the Continental Divide and at least 15 colonies and 18,790 nests exist west of the Divide, for a total of about 134,000 breeding pelicans in North America. However, many pelican colonies have not been surveyed since the early 1980s, and these figures do not include several colonies in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Population size in 1995, including nonbreeders, was estimated at 400,000 (Keith 2005). The largest colony (34,000 breeders in 2002) is at Chase Lake, North Dakota (Sovoda et al. 2005).


It would appear that North Dakota has us beat on the largest population figure. But then, that data is 7 years old.

Hey 35whelen - have we answered your original query yet?


----------



## Jeff Bringhurst

We were out on the spur last season and there must have been 10000 pelicans. Watching them take off and fly like they are on a rollercoasts was quite a sight to behold.


----------



## Chatty

I've seen these flying formations on the night sky for years and never knew what they were. They are definitely not pelicans though. They are much smaller, bat like if I were to guess. But in my research I've never heard a good explanation. They do seem white though with the glue of city lights beneath them. They always are in a V formation tightly packed, between one hundred and three hundred feet up. I don't think bats fly in formations though. The V is more like a boomerang shape. Just saw one fly over and did a search and found you guys. Anyone else see what I'm seeing?


----------



## longbow

I'm guessing White pelican. My house in Perry Utah is just across the freeway from BRBR. I use to see pelicans flying by at night all the time. They never made a sound.


----------



## tallbuck

Yesterday while out riding horses out on AI, I saw a flock of 15ish dark geese and with them were 5 light geese mixed in. Then on the way home I saw a flock of 4 dark geese with one white one with them. this was in Layton of I-15.


----------



## LostLouisianian

Was the wing flapping constant and consistent or was there any "gliding" at times? Could have been snow geese I suppose, but that would be early for them.


----------



## Fowlmouth

Seagulls heading back to the dump to eat diapers.


----------



## swbuckmaster

I think fowlmouth is correct how far from the dump are you?


----------



## Longgun

weather balloons


----------



## LostLouisianian

Swamp gas reflecting off the glow from venus :mrgreen:


----------



## LadyXanth

Chatty, Whelan I see them too. Just saw them twice tonight. Once heading north and 30 minutes later south. I Googled and found this place. They are not cranes (I see white cranes some mornings) they really don't flap wings just glide. They aren't bats or ufos, or weather balloons I've seen all of that. You two seem to be the only people on here who have actually seen what I have or these other explanations wouldn't be presented because it's obvious what they are not. At present I am in Salt Lake area though, I saw them while living in Utah County as well. Btw it does appear there is a new (to me) seagull drone flying around mid sl County. I spend most of my day outside, hours summer /winter, unless I am sleeping, cleaning, cooking or showing. I know the sky.


----------

