Portrait of a juvenile Brown Pelican, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, FloridaJuvenile Brown Pelican portrait on the shore of the Gulf – Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/750, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, natural light

I had a dream last night about a Brown Pelican juvenile showing up at a local pond and in the dream I kept wondering if the young bird would find its way back to one of the coasts of North America instead of being stuck here alone in a landlocked state like Utah.

Because of the dream I decided to post this photo of a juvenile Brown Pelican taken on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in December of 2008. The pelican was resting on some rocks near the Gulf Pier at Fort De Soto along with some Snowy Egrets and a few Ruddy Turnstones. The young pelican preened and rested while I photographed it and it didn’t seem to mind the presence of myself or my friend Adrian in the least.

It was wonderful to be close to the juvenile Brown Pelican and to be able to take portraits of it plus I also enjoyed being able to see all the fine details of its plumage, the texture of its bill and look into its dark eyes.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Brown Pelican photos plus facts and information about this species.