Food Fight

The other afternoon I ventured to the local marina in search of photos.  I knew that if I timed it correctly I might come upon a fishing charter or two returning from an afternoon on the water.  A fishing charter with a catch to clean means only one thing.....  pelicans.

On this day luck was with me.  One fine looking vessel was pulling into the marina as I arrived.  No sooner had the boat tied up to the dock than the scavengers began to arrive.  Much like a heat seeking missile honing in on its target the pelican zeros in on a free meal.  They arrive en mass, bobbing up and down in the water patiently waiting for dinner to be served.

There is only one small problem.  Too many pelicans; too few fish.  The end result?



Food fight!



The ensuing bill smacking and wing flapping is on par with any barroom brawl Hollywood could engineer.  It is truly a sight to behold.  The free-for-all goes on for several minutes until eventually someone emerges victorious. The bulging gullet and protruding tail leave no doubt as to the victor.



The losers resume their posts and the melee resumes.

At one point this little guy took notice of me and my upraised camera.



He separated himself from the crowd and began paddling in my direction.



He was sorely disappointed to learn I had nothing to offer.



Oh how I love these magnificent creatures.  I could watch them for hours.