When my son was three he became fascinated, even obsessed with dinosaurs. We learned about them all. Compsognathus, the dinosaur as big as a chicken, was a particular favorite. And he loved the flying dinosaurs. For Halloween that year I made him a pterodactyl costume. Pterodactyls had the beautiful crest on their heads.
When I first saw pelicans whirling and diving on the coast here, I just KNEW I was seeing pteranodons in disguise. Pteranodons were the ones with rounded heads. There is something so ancient in the way they move their wings, an elegance and boldness in the way they plunge into the sea seeking a fish. Pelicans are social beasts. They often fly in formation, a group of up to fifteen flapping in sync like a series of Eadweard Muybridge photos.
They make my spirit soar!