Brown Pelican
Pelicans
Our little community in Florida is called Pelican Pointe for a reason - it is immediately across the Indian River from Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first such refuge in the USA.
The Refuge saves the nesting habitat for many birds, but in particular birds like the pelican. Our waterfront often see pelicans going back and forth, and most days a pelican or two can be found down at the marina looking for a feed, or even a handout.
Thanks to Theodore Roosevelt, the preservation has worked, and so we all get to marvel at these wonderful birds.
President Roosevelt wrote:
"And to lose the chance to see frigatebirds soaring in circles above the storm,
or a file of pelicans winging their way homeward across the crimson afterglow of the sunset,
or a myriad terns flashing in the bright light of midday as they hover in a shifting maze above the beach --
why, the loss is like the loss of a gallery of the masterpieces of the artists of old time."
If only the current administration was so forward looking.
