Early last summer I was pleasantly surprised to find a flock
of white pelicans had taken up residence in a small local lake, which is really just
a pond. It belongs to the water district
and while visible from the road it is fenced.
I know it is well stocked with fish for mosquito control so I assume
that the pelicans had found a good feeding spot.
I go by this pond everyday back and forth to work and I
always enjoyed watching them. I stopped
several times to take pictures and just enjoy the view. One day in late fall
they were gone. It was to be expected,
time to migrate south for the winter. I was sad but understood. 2 weeks later I noticed a large white bird on
the far side of the lake. Sure enough it
was one last pelican, by him/herself, all alone. I dreamed up all kinds of human/animal
stories; illness, old age, injury, somehow just left behind. I watched for this bird all winter long, my
lonely pelican. I was recovering from my
own illness in November – December and somehow I felt linked to this bird. As long as she was out on the water, we were
both going to be ok.
About a month ago I noticed there are now two birds. What happened? Had I missed this second bird all along? Was
it healing from injury/illness and just now heading out into the water? Did the other bird stay behind to take care
of it? Whatever the reason, I now
experience the joy of watching these two beautiful white pelicans swimming side
by side. Every day as I drive by I get
to smile at my lonely pelican not lonely anymore. They rarely come to the road side of the
lake, but sometimes I stop and watch them through my binoculars.
So…two weeks ago I saw my birds were close and stopped to look. Imagine my surprise when I realized
they were not pelicans, they were swans. How did this happen, I know my two
white birds were pelicans just a couple of weeks ago.
And this weekend... back to pelicans. I am serious! These birds had some strange knobs on their
beak so I thought maybe they were a different breed. But I looked it up and saw that these knobs
form at the start of breeding season. So
I have to assume the pelicans and swans are sharing the pond…just strange that
I have never seen them both at the same time…:o))
April is breeding and migrating time and I anxiously
anticipate, hope, that the flock will be back.
Watching the skies, the lake, and paddling on.
Then there were swans
Back to pelicans
