I'm so happy to see the pelicans on the rocks one more time as we leave the museum.
Are you looking at me?
This is my serious look.
I've been reading up on brown pelicans. Both sexes have the same coloring. Like most animals, males are a little larger than females. The juveniles are mostly brown with brown heads.
I really love the colors on these adults. They are wearing their breeding colors now, because otherwise they would have white necks and pale yellow heads instead of this rich, beautiful brown color. Brown pelicans living on the west coast have red throat pouches, while the east coast birds have greenish pouches. It looks like we have both here in Galveston.
Other water birds look dry when they get out of the water but these pelicans are dripping wet. If fact they seem to spend a lot of time wringing the water out of their feathers and drying in the sunshine.
"Come on, let me see you shake your tail feathers.."
Here's Junior drying off on the rocks...
Move over Junior.
Room for one more!
"Well, east coast girls are hip, I really dig those styles they wear..."
Here's one with a white neck...
My bird watching is interrupted by the Disney Magic ship passing by. The departure horn plays "When You Wish Upon a Star....."
Bon Voyage!
Back on shore, there's rarely any privacy.
Suspicious sideways looks...
Serious looking little gull...
This pelican landed with a huge reddish orange fish in its pouch.
Mine, mine, mine mine mine!
Seriously! How is that going to go down?
Maybe I can wash it down...
Gotta love this bird!
Dang! Where did I put my phone?
I loved studying the brown pelicans and finally decided to attempt to paint them. Here by special request...
Next time we will continue our trip to Harlingen! Stay tuned!
I love the last photo. Your paintings are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIt's still strange to think of cruise ships at Galveston.
That's my favorite one. He could be thinking so many things.
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't associate cruise ships with Galveston. I think of the Sea Wall or tar balls on the beach when we were kids. And sand stuck to our feet. Remember taking home shells only to find them stinky a few days later?
Yes. The last time we were there, when W was 2, we saw feminine hygiene products floating by, and medical waste in small piles on the sand. I think that's why I so dislike beaches and sandy lakes. Maybe if I'd grown up in Hawaii it would be different. I remember once Ken and I drove to Galveston in the middle of the summer to eat at one of those on the pier restaurants, opened the car door and stepped in to such a hot, nasty wind that we got back in the car and drove home.
ReplyDeleteI think beaches are cleaner than they used to be. I still don't feel safe getting in the water at Padre Is. but I love being on the sand, hunting shells. I can even stand having sand on my skin now.
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