PELICAN NO. 10

This is a brown pelican that I crossed paths with at Charles Towne Landing in Charleston, South Carolina.  They kindly take in injured shorebirds and release after healing. While the shorebirds are there, visitors may go into their open air enclosure - an incredible experience. The brown pelican is a large coastal seabird known for its distinctive long bill with a pouch, broad wingspan, and graceful flight. It feeds by plunge-diving-soaring above the water, then diving headfirst to scoop up fish in its throat pouch. Adults are mostly grey-brown with white or yellowish head and a long dark bill. They are common along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coast of the Americas. The brown pelican is both an iconic coastal species and a conservation success story, having recovered from near extinction due to pesticide use in the mid-20th century.