American White Pelican
(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
My son and I have been spending a lot of time lately watching these pelicans. They've been hanging out at a nature preserve near our house. I don't anticipate they'll be there much longer so we're enjoying the show while we can.
I've been working with the trick of taking photographs with an iPhone held up to a pair of binoculars. It works sometimes, but most of the time the bird is gone before you get the phone lined up. However, these pelicans are happy to just sit and drift on the water, looking for fish.
I spend a lot of time on nature pages and websites, and often when people post pictures, they feel compelled to apologize for the quality. I think they should stop apologizing. The natural world is full of wonders. No one should apologize for wanting to share their joy of it with others, even if the pictures aren't the best. I know my iPhone pictures aren't the greatest, but for me it's about the process. I love watching these pelicans. I love that my son is excited about watching these pelicans. We're outside. We're laughing.
I've had people tell me that they'd like to take their kids hiking more, or go outside more, but they don't know anything about nature, or hiking, or birds, or trees. But it's about the process. Find a local trail, get a bottle of water, sunscreen, bug spray, put on some closed-toe shoes, and look up a few pictures of poison ivy so you know to avoid it. Get going; wonders await. I don't know everything, either. I say the phrase "I don't know what that is" a lot. And that is absolutely fine. If you've ever seen naturalists argue over what a certain kind of fungus, bird or plant is, you soon realize no one knows everything. Bit by bit, you start adding to your knowledge- one day, it's a red bird and the next day, it's a male cardinal.
PS- the first time I saw this bird, I had no idea what it was, except that it had to be some kind of pelican. Thank you, iPhone bird ID app.
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