A Wonderful Bird

This limerick, penned in 1910 by American humorist, Dixon Merritt, was popular in my youth.  No, Ogden Nash didn't write it.

A wonderful bird is the pelican,

His bill will hold more than his belican,

He can take in his beak

Enough food for a week

But I'm damned if I see how the helican!

It could have been designed by a congressional subcommittee with typical political-appointee qualifications: none had ever actually seen a real bird.  It's awkward on the ground, the large, ungainly body moving along as if it had a couple too many at the pub.  Aerodynamic it is not.  In fact, you wonder how it ever gets off the ground. 

But, when airborne they are indeed wonderful.  The perfectly coordinated movements of a string of pelicans on the wing, skimming along bare centimeters above the water, is a thing of beauty.  They put the Blue Angels to shame - although they look more like B-52 bombers.

Eagle Lake in northeastern CA is the second largest natural lake in the state.  We were here 4 years ago, liked it a lot, so we plugged it into this year's route.  There's a good sized population of white pelicans here, and that's what inspired this post.