Hi Tweets,

As I came back to my house this evening after a lovely walk in Lincoln Park this afternoon, a jogger who had just come up from the beach told me he had sighted a pelican swimming slowly along the shore. Skeptical, I asked him just where he?d seen it and what it had looked like, and since he sounded pretty plausible, I raced back down the path to the north beach in hopes of seeing it through the dusk.

At first I was disappointed not to see it anywhere, then an approaching ferry spooked it and it took off toward the south: no question in my mind about what it was. Thrilling! Fortunately, it turned back north, floated low over some frightened smaller ducks (?What in the heck is that??? I could hear them thinking), and landed on the water. It slowly drifted to the north as the light faded.

Thanks to my Nikon D7000?s good low-light capabilities (and fortunately for my Tweeters credibility), I was able to get a few recognizable shots in before dark. When I finally left, the pelican was still floating several tens of yards NW of the north end of the park. Photos are at www.flickr.com/photos/trileigh.

An amazing sighting. Many thanks to the kind jogger who shared his observation.

See you there tomorrow!
Trileigh

(P.S. Knowing too well the experience of being certain of a nice sighting, only to have some gentle soul point out my error, I am really hoping this isn?t one of those times?but here goes?)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Trileigh Tucker, PhD
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Seattle University
Natural history website: natural presence.wordpress.com
Photography: flickr.com/photos/trileigh