White pelicans at Lake Morton

Beautiful white pelicans at Lake Morton

The swan just had to get in the picture.

Floating around.

All lined up.

You'd think he'd fall off.

Lakeland is a small town in the middle of Florida. It's halfway between Tampa and Orlando. Their city mascot is the mute swan. There's a small lake in the middle of the city that has a large swan population. People have picnics and walk around the lake and generally hang out with the swans. The swans get fed a lot. Now there's a huge population of white ibis, geese and ducks that are there for a handout. You might also come across a few white pelicans as well. I don't know if these white pelicans migrate back up north for the summer like all of the other white pelicans in the state do. I was here early last summer and there were still a few white pelicans hanging around. White pelicans eat different than brown pelicans do. Brown pelicans dive into the water for their fish. White pelicans swim around the surface and scoop up their fish. Often you see brown pelicans alone but white pelicans are usually in groups. These white pelicans looked pretty. They don't seem to have a rough life here at the lake. 

More on the other fowl at Lake Morton later.