Pelican Island

A book I've been reading about the beginnings of the national park system and wildlife refuges mentioned Pelican Island so I thought I would look it up. The preserve is located on one of the fringe pieces of land that skirts the east coast of Florida and is just north of Vero Beach. It has quite a history and is noted as the first federal bird reservation that Teddy Roosevelt established with the encouragement of the Florida Audubon Society. That was in 1903 and was the beginning of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

But Pelican Island was discovered at a much earlier time. Back in the mid 1800s scientists had already begun to study and wonder at the clusters of Pelicans in this five acre piece of land. By the end of the century, the Audubon Society was gaining members and influence and noted the importance of this area thus bringing it to the attention of Roosevelt.

Once Pelican Island was named as a refuge, a man named Paul Kroegel was hired by the Audubon Society to be the island's first warden. He would maintain the protection of the island habitat until 1926 when he retired.

In 1963 it became a National Historic Landmark because of its significance as the first national refuge and in 1968 Florida agreed to lease another 4670 acres of mangrove islands to the refuge. Since then many improvements have been made including trails and interpretive centers as well as observation points to study the rookery. You can also kayak among the mangroves.

We are always looking for new places to stop on our migration south. Guess I'll put this one on the list for next year.

Life on the Florida Bay - Pelicans

Key Largo has an Atlantic side and a Florida Bay side. While we are staying on the Bay side facing west, we could walk across Route 1 (which can be quite a challenge) if we want to watch a sunrise over the Atlantic. Since that would require getting up pretty early, we opt to enjoy the sunsets from our side of the Key. We also enjoy the wildlife although the most entertaining life is not really very wild.

There is a dock that is part of the condo complex where we are seasonal renters (another term for snowbirds) and we have four or five pelicans who are always in the area. Around the outer part of the dock are some large rocks that help to protect the dock and the boats inside the little harbor area created by the dock. The pelicans perch on the rocks and keep a watchful eye for any fishermen who may be cleaning fish or even for that matter catching fish from the dock.

We will walk on the dock past a pelican perched there and he will watch us with one eye. As we pass, he'll turn his head and watch with the other eye. I'm not sure he can actually see by looking straight ahead. If we happen to stop at the table set up where you can clean your fish you can be sure that the other pelican cohorts will zero in and immediately land or swim up to the table and watch for any fish tidbit you might throw into the water.

Fishing on the dock can be quite a challenge if you want to keep your catch. As you finish reeling in and turn to take your fish off the hook, you'll find yourself surrounded by the grey feathered long beaked web-footed beggars. If you want to catch and release, you have to be quick about it or it the fish will be pelican food before it hits the water.

Watching the landing and take off of a pelican brings a smile every time. They sort of scoot as they land, surfing along the surface of the water until their momentum stops. They are heavy and hardly look like they can actually fly. Their take off is a lot of flapping of wings and I keep watching to see if their feet are actually running along the surface of the water until they take flight. They are pretty expert at zeroing in on a food source though (other than the freebies a fisherman may offer) and they dive down out of the air making quite a splash when they are on the hunt.

I hate to call them clowns but they do bring a smile and a chuckle every time I watch them.

Pelican Patience

This year I broke down and bought a Florida fishing license. I bought a non-resident-three-day for when our grandson visited but ended up committing to a year long license a few weeks later. It will be good for our return next year and I am enjoying the peace and quiet that sitting and watching a bobber brings on a warm calm day.

Now I've had plenty of fishing buddies in the past. Growing up there was my dad, my mom, my brother, the kid next door and my grandfather. I've even fished with the guy who hates fishing, Bob. He goes once in a while as a concession to me. Of course the next generation, my grands, are fishing some too. Our Florida grandson especially and he was no slouch when it came to hooking fish. By the end of our fishing time together he was even taking them off the hook by himself.

Fishing on the dock here in Florida is a bit crowded at times though. You see when the pelicans spot a fishing pole, they flock to the dock and wait. The first time we were surrounded by a half dozen. The more that came, the more they closed in on us and started grunting. The grunting was to tell another pelican to back off. We tried not to feed them our catch but unfortunately several didn't make it back into the water soon enough and were scooped up which only made the pelicans more determined. So much so that one got tangled in my line. I was about to cut it when all of a sudden he shook it off. I think he'd had some experience.

This morning I was out fishing on my own. The Florida grandson is back home. I thought it would be a little lonely but sure enough, a pelican that was flying by spotted my pole and the bobber in the water and made a u-turn. He settled in the water about 20 feet away from the bobber and watched it with me. There seemed a glint of optimism in his eye. Certainly he was being quite patient. But then that's the sign of a good fisherman: patience sprinkled with optimism. It paid off for one of us.

Through My Lens - Key Largo Pelicans

These guys are always waiting for a handout from the fishermen who clean their fish by the water. Even if you  just go and stand by the cleaning station, they come scurrying. My goal is to photograph one in flight.