The Australian Pelican – Pelecanus conspicillatus is an interesting and unusual bird.
I spent about an hour today watching a group at Yamba on the Clarence River. I spent most of my childhood holidays at Yamba where my grandparents lived – this was when it was a more ‘unfound’ quieter coastal town. As kids we knew this town very well but a lot has changed! The basic ‘bones’ are there but it is now very much a busy tourist destination especially at this time of year – a place that my grandparents would hardly recognise. We would go fishing nearly every day of our holidays and knew all the best spots some of which are now housing estates!
But I remember feeding the pelicans our leftovers after cleaning the fish with their funny waddles and large beaks – you had to avoid getting grabbed by that beak when you were feeding them at close range!
So it was nice to sit and watch and photograph them late this afternoon. These are just a few of the photos took but they illustrate more of the unusual poses the pelicans take up. They spent a fair bit of time sitting on posts and then stretching and scratching various wings, feet, necks, bodies and beaks!
Only problem is now I have even more drawing and design ideas – again!!
But I have been carving…more on that soon!
Wildflowerings - Art Studio Diary 
I love pelicans but they way they turn their bill pouches inside out is so weird!
Hello Snail, Yes I must say I think the bill pouch stretching pose is the most bizarre! I was wondering whether there was a reason for this…must do a bit of research…
Dear mrs. Weir
A very beautifull website, and I’m looking with pleasure the relation art/animals. That’s also my fasination about snail wit many items; religion, art, proverbs etc. In all these years I’ve made for more then 100 illustrations. My wish is at the end of this year to finish it, and making a book of it. The story tells that the snail ‘sneezy’ lives in a zoo (Artis-Amsterdam) and get advise of the poema. He tells sneezy that the pelicane Mr. P. makes a world trip, the end is Australian. In many countries shows the pelican the relation snail….
To make it short, for my illistrations you’ve made beautiful pictures of the pelicanes. I want to use then as my “models”, can I used them.
My very best regard,
Volkert Waalkens
Holland