Alcatraz

Strike A Pose

May 24, 2023 — 12 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 100.

Brown Pelicans

I bought some shoes from a drug dealer.

I don’t know what he laced them with, but I’ve been tripping all day.

Interesting Fact: The closely related Peruvian Pelican lives along the Pacific Coast of South America from southern Ecuador to Chile. It’s a little larger than a Brown Pelican, with fine white streaking on its underparts and a blue pouch in the breeding season. These two species are the only pelicans that plunge-dive for their food. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )

Hold It Until We Find A Clean Car!

February 13, 2022 — 8 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 200. 

Brown Pelican

How do you make holy water?

Boil the hell out of it!

Interesting Fact: Though they have an awkward gait on land, Brown Pelicans are strong swimmers and masterful fliers. They fly to and from their fishing grounds in V-formations or lines just above the water’s surface. They and the closely related Peruvian Pelican are the only pelican species to perform spectacular head-first dives (typically ending in a huge splash visible from far away) to trap fish.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )

We Get Frequent Flyer Points

March 14, 2021 — 17 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 200.

Brown Pelicans

What did the bra say to the hat?

You go on a head, and I’ll give these two a lift.

Interesting Fact: During a dive, the Brown Pelican tucks its head and rotates its body to the left. This maneuver is probably to cushion the trachea and esophagus—which are found on the right side of the neck—from the impact. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican )

Every Sunset Is An Opportunity To Reset.

September 17, 2020 — 30 Comments

F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.

San Francisco Sunset Brown Pelican

What do the Starship Enterprise and toilet paper have in common?

They both probe Uranus and wipe out Klingons.

Interesting Fact:   As sunrise and sunset are calculated from the leading and trailing edges of the Sun, respectively, and not the center, the duration of a daytime is slightly longer than nighttime (by about 10 minutes, as seen from temperate latitudes). Further, because the light from the Sun is refracted as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, the Sun is still visible after it is geometrically below the horizon. Refraction also affects the apparent shape of the Sun when it is very close to the horizon. It makes things appear higher in the sky than they really are. Light from the bottom edge of the Sun’s disk is refracted more than light from the top, since refraction increases as the angle of elevation decreases. This raises the apparent position of the bottom edge more than the top, reducing the apparent height of the solar disk. Its width is unaltered, so the disk appears wider than it is high. (In reality, the Sun is almost exactly spherical.) The Sun also appears larger on the horizon, an optical illusion, similar to the moon illusion.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset#Historically )

You Never Leave Your Wingman!

May 21, 2020 — 5 Comments

F/ 9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Brown Pelicans 

Why does Piglet smell so bad?

Because he plays with Pooh.

Interesting Fact: Pelicans usually feed above estuaries and shallow ocean waters within 12 miles of shore, but sometimes venture over the deeper waters past the narrow continental shelf of the Pacific coast. They occasionally feed by sitting on the surface and seizing prey with their bills, like other pelican species, usually when a dense school of fish is close to the surface and the water is too shallow and muddy to plunge. They also steal food from other seabirds, scavenge dead animals, and eat invertebrates such as prawns. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )

Sky Is Not The Limit It’s Just The Beginning!

November 30, 2019 — 4 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.

Brown pelican

What’s the difference between roast beef and pea soup?

Anyone can roast beef, but nobody can pee soup!

Interesting Fact: Pelicans usually forage during the day, but may feed at night during a full moon. Before swallowing their prey they drain the water from their pouches, while gulls or terns often try to steal fish right out of their beaks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )

 

Don’t Be Scared To Fly Alone Find A Path That Is Your Own

July 3, 2019 — 9 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.

Brown Pelican

Why Did the Robber Take a Shower?

He wanted to make a clean getaway.

Interesting Fact: While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch—sometimes while perching on the pelican’s head. Pelicans themselves are not above stealing fish, as they follow fishing boats and hang around piers for handouts. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican )