The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief

I call it Pelican Bay because there were literally hundreds of Pelicans flying, diving, floating and cavorting with each other as our cruise ship (the Fathom Adonia) slowly made its way through the water.

The Pelicans did not seem the least upset by our relatively huge ship sailing by them. Why should they? Who hunts Pelicans?

I had never seen a Pelican before these sightings in Cuba, although I have since learned that they are everywhere on the East coast. [My new learning: A group of Pelicans is called a pod.]

Pelicans rocket into the water to catch fish. They are greedy eaters too. I think I saw a few with more than one fish in its mouth, uh, beak.

I said to the Beautiful AP, “Put Pelicans on our list.” You see birders all make lists of the birds they see with the dates they saw them and I thought we should have our own list. I think there are some 900-plus species of birds. This would be our first one on our official list!

“I’m not making a list,” she said. “I have enough lists about my swimming mileage and workouts. You want a list, you make the list.”

“But I want you to make the list,” I said, defeated. I then whispered to myself dejectedly, “Then we won’t have a list.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” I said.