[MDOsprey] White pelican at Hunting Creek; Noon to 12:40PM, Tuesday 8/24
David (dstrother@pop.dn.net)
Tue, 24 Aug 1999 16:40:35 -0400
With thanks to all who have posted, particularly Sherman Suter for his
off-line
detailed thoughts, I braved the stench of Blue Plains (my first visit
there in
26 years of working at EPA) and then headed for Belle Haven Marina,
since a
number of reports mentioned sightings on the bar at the mouth of Hunting
Creek.
Sure enough, big enough to be discernable with the naked eye (with a
little bit
of squinting, perhaps) from the riverbank at the north end of the Belle
Haven
parking lot, there it was on the sandbar, idly plucking at its chest
feathers.
Did that for about 20 minutes and then started walking slowly east.
A strong puff from the ESE came up, on which many of the birds,
including the
pelican, lifted off.
Was treated to a five-minute flying display (WOW!) as it did lazy S
turns in an
easterly pattern before settling into the water south of Jones Point.
Thereafter, it paddled slowly and deliberately west toward where it had
started.
David Strother
Bethesda, Maryland
dstrother@pop.dn.net
PS: Sherman says that it was over by the Blue Plains breakwall at 0715
today,
and at 2000 yesterday was at the "infamous snag".