These old dock pilings make a perfect pelican roost for this afternoon social. Also, for the pelican, it's a safe place to rest, out of the path of Marco Island boat traffic.
The brown pelican, with its large beak, pouch and tight s-shaped neck, is easily recognized as it glides just above the briny water. The pelican's large, six to eight foot wingspan aids in migration along the United States' eastcoast. Its range is from the Florida Keys to the Chesapeake Bay and is sometimes found as far north as Nova Scotia. As with any animal in the wild, the pelican population is faced with adversity, but it has made a remarkable comeback after a major 1950s and 60s die-off due to pesticide poisoning.