In the mornings on the beach outside our hotel,
the local fishermen would take their boats out early...
...coming back with their catch for the day...
There were the usual birds on the beach...
But there are a few 'special' ones hanging around...
...two young pelicans, not yet fledged, quite comfortable around people.
It's because their poor mom has a broken wing and has the smarts to know
that this is a safe place where these youngsters will get some food...
She hobbles about with her damaged wing, waiting for the morning scraps from
the cleaning of the fish...
These birds are magnificent to watch as they glide inches above the waves
and even more impressive to see them go from high above the water,
folding themselves into a perfect dart and diving in for fish.
But on the ground they are slightly gawky and awkward...
...not yet knowing the finer points of closing their wings back up again
and preening their new pinfeathers by the minute...
Sometimes if you were walking on the beach with flip flops in hand
the young pelicans would mistake your footwear for fish and give chase!
Lucky for these young ones, that their mother knows a place where
people will feed her babies until they are old enough to find their way.
I'm hoping somehow they'll learn to fish and as for mom...I don't
know what will become of her.
A pelican that can't fly, can't fish but maybe once the babies are gone
the locals will keep feeding her or get her some help for her wing.
