American White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. The latin name means red-billed pelican. Kind of like Rudolph! They do have a little rosy flush anyhow. I've wanted to get a decent picture of these birds for a while. They have them in interior lakes and at the salton sea but they're not as common on the coast.
I've seen them circling on thermals on the way to school (but, failed to get the camera out soon enough...). I've seen them sleeping but ended up with headless pictures (head tucked under the wing)! Well, here they are in all their glory, herding fish as they dip into the shallow water for dinner. They are spectacular birds, all fluffy white feathers and contrasting orange-pink beaks! In a group, they give any white swan a good run for the money!
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And they have a great meaning in symbolism: “The pelican that sheds its own blood in order to sprinkle its dead young, so that they may live again, is a type of the salvation of mankind by the death of Christ on the Cross” (Wikipedia of course).
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