Life in the swamps is not all pretty bird photographs. This Pelican was lost and it kept getting worse.
When he flew in there was obvious trouble. First, Pelicans do not come to this swamp. Not a place for a novice to float around in. Worse, it was apparent one of his legs was hurt.
For some reason the Pelican tried to land in one of the cypress trees. Bad idea. Great Blue Herons are closely guarding their nests. The Pelican found a flat spot to land, and a Great Blue stood up and drove him to the water.
Bloodied but actually lucky.
The Heron missed his eye and the Pelican swam off.
His last bit of luck was good though. And he probably didn’t know it. While swimming away from the Heron he caught the attention of an Alligator. Pelicans do not swim in the same water as Alligators so he was most likely unaware of it.
However, he took to the air heading out of the swamp (actually in the direction of the ocean) leaving the Alligator behind.
The first mishap of the spring and no disaster. That’s a good thing.
Wonderful shots Ted. Glad things worked out for the Pelican! A tough world for these creatures.
He did get away, but you’re right, it’s tough for the animals out there. The brush with an Alligator could have been a sad ending. Nothing to photo, just an Alligator focused on the Pelican, and moving in.