Pelican brief: A bird's gotta eat (cute article and pics)

[ColesCountyDem]

Pelican brief: A bird's gotta eat

Timing is everything.

Driving the Wolf Creek Causeway at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge frequently results in memorable wildlife sightings. However, last Wednesday was something special.

A mid-November cold snap had coated most Crab Orchard Lake east of Wolf Creek Road with a thin veneer of ice. There were small pockets of open water adjacent to the levee.

It was impossible not to notice a white pelican swimming in the small pool near the fishing pier. The anglers crowded on the pier initially paid little attention to the pelican. And, the pelican was certainly not concerned by the human presence.

After several minutes, one of the anglers finally took notice of the huge bird swimming just a few yards away. The angler caught a small sunfish and tossed it across the ice in the general direction of the pelican. For good measure, he tossed a second fish....

http://thesouthern.com/sports/outdoors/pelican-brief-a-bird-s-gotta-eat/article_8bd5328f-0459-5120-a36b-60e6a9b921be.html