not sure just how rare this bird is in these parts this time of the year,
but figured as there was nothing else to talk about, this might be rare
enough...

on two occasions today, for a total of maybe 20 seconds over 15 minutes, i
spotted at least one white pelican in the air above juanita bay park... the
first time, i was totally surprised as it flew directly overhead towards the
west at a pretty good altitude... i've seen these regularly in southern
california, but to the best of my knowledge, had never seen them north of
northern california, so my mind kept trying to make it be something else...
i'd committed the first sin of photography: when it finally clicked what
the bird was, it was already too far away to be even a good ID photo...
while i was walking to the end of the western boardwalk, someone else came
up to me and asked if i'd seen the pelican, so i knew it wasn't my senior
moments playing games with me...

about 15 VERY FREEZING moments later (we won't talk about the north wind
coming off the water), i was once again surprised to see another (the same?)
white pelican, this time racing from north to south... by the time i saw
it, it was already over the park proper (about 100 yards away), but this
time, i did get a photo good enough for ID... i haven't decided if it's
good enough to post as a photo of the week (for rarity, as quality is poor)
or not, but i'm more than willing to share it in email with folks if they
have an interest...

i managed to beat the wind for another 15 minutes looking for the bird(s) to
reappear (it / they didn't) before the wind pounded me into my car for a
warm meal and shelter...

00 caren
http://www.parkgallery.org
juanita bay park, washington
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