unrelated stuff

[ritaxis]

Two times in the last week I've had someone say "You must really be bored." The first time it was because I was photographing a dead pelican at Its Beach. The second time it was because I said I had been reading up on wild grasses at Light house Field. Both time my response was "No, I'm just interested in stuff."

The pelican appeared to have a couple of plastic bags in its beak. Looking at the photos more closely I have to admit I don't know what I'm seeing. There's been a lot of young dead pelicans on the bay lately. They all appear to have starved to death. The thinking is that the pelicans have made their comeback, but fish stocks are low. Yesterday I tried to take a picture that would have been gorgeous, of a raft of at least fory pelicans flying through the fog, but I just couldn't get it.









So, the main thing, the part that looks all foamy, I think is its gullet thing turned inside out. But in the second picture, doesn't it look as if there's also some plastic in there?

Poor pelican.

On another front: Grendelsong did not want "Seven Little Men."

On another front yet: I have finally figured out which one Liszt is and I don't like him. I do like Chopin, though. Old dog, new trick: identify the composer and have an opinion on him.

So, does anybody know anything about the women in the Bach family? All I ever hear about is the Bach boys.

Comments

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

You can imagine what people think when they see cottonmanifesto and I laying in the dirt to get pictures of mushrooms, weeds, and bugs. Fortunately, New Englanders don't talk to strangers.

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Californians do! But usually not when I'm crawling around with the camera. Just this one guy couldn't imagine that a person would be taking pictures of a dead pelican for its own sake. Since it was at Its Beach, where the dogs are, I had to enlist the nice fellow to keep Truffle distracted.

I didn't see any dogs offering to roll in it, so maybe pelican smell isn't all that attractive to them.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Californians do!
True enough! it took me some getting used to while I was there (I lived in SF for 5 months), but I didn't mind too much. I did recently have a guy (who would have fit in fine in SF) talk to me when I was taking pictures of a slime mold. When someone talks to you in Boston you think: "Crazy, Christian, or both?"

[towse.livejournal.com]

I love pelicans in flight -- the peaceful way they glide.

Disturbing picture. I can't tell if there's plastic there, although I'd imagine a starving pelican will eat almost anything, if hungry enough.

The story I've heard with the young pelicans is that the water surface is warmer than normal because of the unusually high temperatures we've been having and the small fish that the pelicans eat are going deeper to find cool water. The young pelicans can't dive as deep as the adults and starve unless the Marine Mammal Center or some other interested outfit can find them and supplement their diet.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Poor pelican. I get the same sort of thing when I ask questions. "Why would you want to know that?" "I'm just curious."