Something Prehistoric

 

Ok so I know these birds are not prehistoric, they're very much in the here and now (or the there and then when these photos were shot), but I am sure you will agree they do have a prehistoric look.

These are California Brown Pelicans which as their name suggests live in and around California. These were spotted flying and fishing in Monterey bay and Santa Cruz. 

They are known for catching fish by plunge diving, unlike other species of Pelican, and I enjoyed watching them diving headfirst into the water and coming up with  fish. It was very difficult to predict where or when they would dive because they gave no clear indication of when they were going to do it. I managed to ge5t a few shots of the water splashing as they hit the water but none at the critical moment when their beak touched the surface.

I had seen White Pelicans up in Thunder Bay, Ontario one time, swimming along in a flotilla, which was quite impressive but I think watching these in California was quite something.

Both the white and brown variants have suffered somewhat in the past and the white pelican is considered a "threatened species" in Ontario. A major threat in the past was the use of the pesticide DDT that through run off into lakes and rivers entered the food chain. It caused the birds eggs to be very thing and fragile so Pelicans like many other species that fed on fish were badly affected. Happily since the ban on the use of DDT many bird species populations have increased and since 2009 the California Brown Pelican was removed from the federal endangered species list.

Rattled

 I sometimes struggle to get motivated to spend time sorting through the photos that I take, perhaps because I have so many, maybe its because I seem to have too little time that its just not a priority. Sometimes though, I will spend a long time sifting through a file, editing some images and then deciding that I don't actually want to share them or do anything more with them. But I have so many beautiful images that I want to share too so I need to sort my head out a little bit.

Recently I have been bothered about the messed up world we live in, particularly as I am busy with grandparenting and I wonder what a mess we are leaving for the future generations to sort out. Close to home I see conflict in the community about the "loss" of a beach as nature is allowed to fight back after years of raking and pesticide use. I have seen  protests against refugees when people should be protesting at the conflicts that cause so many people to flee their homelands and we should be more welcoming. Nationally and internationally I see policies being promoted that are divisive and leaders who feed the chaos with lies and misinformation. Famines created by conflict, more children murdered in mass shootings and when anyone says "enough, this has to stop" those who could do something about it look the other way. 

Honestly it is so depressing. I really didn't intend to go down this route when I started this post so I am sorry for the depressing tone but something does need to change. I have said it before we cant do much but we need to do the little things that can make our world a better place, for ourselves and for the future generations, if we don't set a better example how can we expect those who follow us to do any better. 

Maybe that is why I have chosen the pictures above, the title for this post is Rattled and I was referencing the grasses seed heads which look like tiny rattles, but there is an added meaning because I feel pretty rattled by all the things I have seen and referred to above. 

But these grasses are beautiful. I can recall seeing them on a hot and sunny day out with my family in a forest in California, with all the giant trees around me I took time to notice something so little and seemingly insignificant. But how beautiful it is and even something so small plays a part in the wider ecosystem. So, as I say I had no idea where this post would take me but I guess the point I have arrived at is that we, like these grasses may seem/feel insignificant but we have a place and a role to play, we may only be able to do little things but we should do the little things that make things better and more beautiful and not contribute to the mess.