Graceful & Ungainly – all wrapped in one feathery package!
Patty was off with birder friends Saturday morning, and on a whim I stopped by Lake Mars. Just off the breakwater west of the channel, what I suspect was a school of Pogies (Menhaden) had the pelicans in a full-on feast. For those of you, like me, who are fascinated by the pelican, I hope you enjoy these images. If you look closely at the splashes erupting around their dives, you can see the prey!
The pelican can soar inches above the surface, as graceful and effortless as anything you’ll ever see — then plunge into the water looking more like a wreck than an intentional act, coming up with a beak pouch full of tiny Menhaden or a full-grown Mullet.
One minute they take my breath away with their grace; the next they’re cracking me up with their gangliness and a crash landing into the water.
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“And to lose the chance to see frigatebirds soaring in circles above the storm, or a file of pelicans winging their way homeward across the crimson afterglow of the sunset, or a myriad terns flashing in the bright light of midday as they hover in a shifting maze above the beach — why, the loss is like the loss of a gallery of the masterpieces of the artists of old time.”
Theodore Roosevelt
These are some really nice pictures Rich. The pelicans make me laugh too. Having worked on the water for 20 years, I’ve had some close encounters with them. Some have lost their fear of humans and don’t mind getting close. They’re looking for a handout especially if they see that you have fish to share. We’ve hand fed them alongside the boat and they would gulp the fish in your hand all the way up to your elbow. Their pouch leather is very soft and pliable. I think they use it to capture a volume of water that has small fish swimming inside. Upon what they think is a successful scoop of water they would lift there beak straight out very slowly so that the water flows out the tiny slit between the lower and upper beak, filtering out the edibles. When all the water is gone then they lift the beak high in the air and wiggle the contents down their throat. Pelicans diving on their prey can be seen a long way off and guides us to the fish.
Hey Michael, thanks for taking the time to share. I’d love to feel the texture of the pelican’s throat pouch. Did you read the research I did on pelicans? It may be interesting to your engineering background.
https://rlhorner.com/pelicans-fun-facts-to-know-and-share/