The Pelican Brief

Several years ago, when our family took a walk to a nearby pond, we were amazed to find a group of pelicans swimming in the water. As we drew near, they took off into the air and flew right over our heads. It was a breathtaking and unforgettable sight!

Looking up at birds flying overhead can be a beautiful or a disgusting experience. It can be somewhat of a gamble, as a close friend of my dad found out. While he was walking along the shore, he looked up at a seagull, then suddenly could not see at all. He was blind in one eye, and the bird dropped a bomb in his other. I think of this story every time we watch birds. But I digress...

The first time I saw pelicans in Colorado was the first time I had ever seen pelicans in "real life". I would not have been surprised to glimpse pelicans in Florida, but to see them in Colorado was a surprise to me. Since viewing them at the pond years ago, I have wanted to see them again, but didn't encounter them again until this past week.

On Saturday, our family hopped into our van to run some errands. I half-consciously entertained the thought of bringing my camera, but reasoned that it would be pointless on a trip to a hardware store. Before reaching the store, we dropped off overdue library books (sigh) and there was a magnificent group of pelicans on the tiny pond near the library! I verbally kicked myself for leaving the camera at home. The pond was so small that any shots would have been relatively close.

On Sunday, along with James' brother and kids, we chased down the pelicans at a larger pond. They were at enough of a distance that my camera did not do them justice. I had to set the camera on the maximum of digital zoom as well as sports mode to make up for my shaky hand, the wind, and the moving birds.











Picture by Evan


Picture by Matthew