Pretty pelican

 Today's piece is one for the birds!

I really enjoy painting birds of all types, but especially pelicans.They are such a gawky bird, yet fly so gracefully  in the air.I am glad to see their numbers back after they were endangered in the 1970's. Their numbers fell drastically after the use of DDT became widespread. The pesticide made their shells so fragile, they could not even sit on them and so their numbers declined. They have made a wonderful comeback now, even becoming pests at times because of their numbers. They really are amazing birds, with their spectacular dives into the water after their prey. I enjoy watching them, especially when there is a school of fish that they are feeding upon. I have seen them so full of fish, that they could not even take off from the water. They have to sit and bob on the surface, until they can take off with a large splash.

We also went on the water this morning. Chris took his new kayak, and I went for a paddle on my board. It's been 6 six years since Chris bought my first board and I still have it. I used to use it a lot, but now I have a harder, shorter board that suits me well. This board allows me to go over waves, in between waves, as well as ride on them. We were out for a solid hour this morning. I gave up after seeing way too many jellyfish, making me afraid of the ones I could not see. The waves also started picking up, with white caps appearing on the tops. I was fighting the wind as well, it pushing me hard against it while fighting the waves. The waves were also coming from two different directions. It made for an interesting paddle for sure!

Pretty pelican, Acrylic on wood panel, 5 x 15 inches

Day 74 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2020