Saturday, May 7, 2011

Brown Pelicans

Tomorrow I return to my natural habitat. Today we walked under warm sun on a soft white sand beach, gentle waves lapping. A brown pelican, intent on scooping small fishes from the ripples along the shore, looked like a messenger from an ancient world. 



 


Like ospreys and bald eagles, brown pelicans became endangered after the pesticide DDT worked its way into the food chain in the 50s and 60s. The Eastern brown pelican was removed from the federal endangered list in 2009.  The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 killed thousands of brown pelicans, once again placing the pelican in danger. Oil slicks destroyed favorite nesting grounds in Louisiana.


7 comments :

Donna said...

Pelicans are such cool birds...I loved watching them in FL when I was a kid on the beach...I knew where the fish were by where the pelicans were hanging out...

Karin / Southern Meadows said...

Terrific photos! We enjoy the pelicans when we visit my in-laws on the gulf coast. They are fascinating to watch.

Sheila Read said...

Hi Donna and Karin! The pelicans are fun to watch, whether they're gliding inches over the water, diving or just sitting for hours on the pier. Yesterday when I was swimming in the Gulf I heard a loud splash, looked around, and saw a pelican eating a fish not 10 feet from me ...

Beth at PlantPostings said...

Fantastic shots! I've always enjoyed watching them, too, when I've been on vacations. Very nice blog. I'm glad I stopped by!

Sheila said...

PlantPostings, thanks for your comments! I was surprised the pelican let me get so close to take photos. It was intent on fishing! Glad you like the blog.

One said...

Those are some wonderful captures. I experienced a heron walking towards me just 3 months ago. It was just a few feet away when someone jogged past and frightened it away.

Sheila said...

One, I usually find myself holding my breath as I approach a bird - I'm trying so hard to be still so I don't scare it away. Too bad about the jogger!