It gets the job done...

  Folks are most likely tiring of my tales of the pelicans that live on the Bayou.  Sorry, they are friends of mine and since I find them amusing, I am hopes that others do as well.  It is not uncommon for me to find two or three dozen Brown Pelicans flopping about the place in search of breakfast.  Yep, flopping just about describes the antics of these birds. They walk about as well as a drunk person who has his shoelaces tangled.  Never assume that just because a critter has legs it can do well on land.  Pelicans are proof of that.  I must admit that once in flight, they are amazingly graceful.  They can keep a steady course just inches above the water's surface and never miss a beat.  Their takeoffs and dives lack a bit of finesse, though.  Most folks when viewing a pelican dive wonder how the bird comes out alive.  The plunge, itself, looks life-threatening!  When one hits the surface, water flies everywhere!  There are no award-winning dives when it comes to these birds.  And the take-offs are worse.  Clumsy, clumsy!

  The takeoff requires a good twenty feet or so of "water-walking" and wing-flapping before the bird is actually airborne.  Then, it is not a rare sight to see their wingtips still flipping the water's edge as they fly.  All of this is action is sort of comical to watch.  Although the birds seem awkward, their maneuvers get the job done. 

  While the pelicans do appear to be inept in their motions, they are some of the most efficient feeders that visit the Bayou.  Almost every dive results in a catch of some sort and the birds' bellies are filled.  Maybe it is just the idea that I can relate to all of this awkwardness as I am not the most graceful of humans.  Perhaps the birds and I have more in common that I think.