Need a Bird Expert

[ronaldhanko]

I've posted this here because it seems like the people here on OB know everything.

My wife and I were traveling and hiking the last few days and saw these White Pelicans in a pond more than 100 miles inland and over the mountains from Seattle and Puget Sound. Are there any bird experts that know whether this is unusual behavior? Were they possibly migrating?

Also, does any know what purpose the thing on the bill serves? The only information I could find called it a "flat round plate and said it appears only during breeding season, but gave no further clues. And another question: do both sexes have it or just the males?