Brown Pelican – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

South Carolina | SC Picture Project | Horry County Photos | Brown Pelican

The Eastern Brown Pelican is very common along the South Carolina coastline, and is the only pelican in the world that is not white. This beautiful bird was hanging out on a pier in Myrtle Beach in December 2009.

Brown Pelican

Joanna Thurman of Conway © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Brown Pelicans once nested along coastal areas from Mexico to North Carolina, but today they only nest in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. The Deveaux Bank Heritage Preserve within the ACE Basin is a very popular nesting spot for the pelicans.

Joanna Thurman captured the great shot above, and says that she “much prefers winter at Myrtle Beach to summer, as one is more likely to have close encounters with visitors of another type, such as this Brown Pelican. I always carry a little camera in my pocket, and this day it paid off by providing me with a very fond memory. I chuckle every time I look at it because the bird was such a character.”

Springmaid Pier pelican

Dawne M. Dunton of Myrtle Beach, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Dawne Dunton, who captured the shot above, describes the scene like this: “On this day I was taking a lot of
photos of Clyde, the mascot of the Springmaid Pier. Unfortunately, I had no treats for him and I think he was getting a little irritable with me, he kept peeking over his shoulder at me probably wondering when I was going to leave him alone.”

Clyde the Springmaid Pier pelican

Dawne M. Dunton, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Dawne recalls the day she snapped the shot above, “Clyde let me get a little closer and I believe this is his best side. Ready for my close up, I think is what he’s saying with this look. He is a beautiful bird.”

Learn more about the Eastern Brown Pelican.

3 Comments about Brown Pelican

• Paul from Mass

says:
February 15th, 2012 at 11:44 am

I was watching pelicans feed all morning. What amazing birds, the way they dive for fish. Myrtle Beach is heaven.

• June Taylor

says:
January 26th, 2011 at 1:57 pm

The contrast between the blue sky and the bird is beautiful!!

• Chris

says:
December 16th, 2010 at 7:11 pm

I’m relocating to the area hopefully soon, and it is nice to scope out your site to see all the things SC has to offer. The pics are top notch image quality!

Chris