Basking Pelican. On the rocks above the waves.
Bean Hollow State Beach, Pescadero CA
One of the favorite beaches for pelicans to roost on is Bean Hollow and Pescadero. The California Brown Pelican is very plentiful here. (As a side note, the White Pelicans can be found easily around Bodega Bay. A trip for another time.) Our friend here spent a lot of time drying out and preening his feathers. At this moment he kind of stretched and arched his neck back as if to pull out the kinks from his previous acrobatics of cleaning his feathers under his chest.
When I have observed these guys, they seem to work in shifts. One flock in on the water, working from the air or on the surface to feed. It’s fun to see them dive bomb to catch a fish. Meanwhile the other flock is on the land, drying off or cleaning themselves. When the feeding group is full, they take off and circle low on the beach. The flock on the land then takes off and re-occupies the fishing spots on the water. Quite a harmonious arrangement.
