During my walk along the nearby reservoir this morning, I chanced upon this male white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). A willing photographer's model, he paddled close to the shore and offered me his profile. The growth on his upper bill indicates that breeding season is in full swing and he is ready for action. He is a marvelous creature - like an attack fowl designed to satisfy Defense Department specifications - with the body and neck of a swan and the beak of a pterodactyl.
