I long to take flight

A few captivating tidbits from today’s walk…

This is a male great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus).  He had been perched on the pier quite close to me.  As luck would have it, he took to the air the moment I snapped the photo.  But I wasn’t terribly disappointed given this shot.

A male great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) taking flight (173_7366)

Here are several members of a colony of ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) as they leave their group near shore and head out over the water.

Several ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) taking flight over the water (173_7331)

And here’s the lucky shot of the day.  This is an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) as it flew directly over me.  I was standing near a line of trees when two of these massive birds suddenly appeared overhead.  With trees in front of me and trees behind me, I had no time to piddle with camera settings or even take aim lest I lose the chance.  So I just aimed the lens toward the sky and pressed the button.  I was pleasantly surprised I had captured anything worth sharing given the circumstances.

An American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flying overhead (174_7401)

How I’d love to be able to join them in the ether lifted high on my own wings and power, free to soar at will sans cumbersome machinery or mechanisms.

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