Ol' Blue Eyes 2

Jerry...  What can I say but... Perfect!... Mike

Thank you very much for your feedback!

I guess pelican portraits are as common as flies, but when I see a handsome fella like this, I can't resist.

Monte, I'm fascinated by that keel too, but haven't found an answer yet.  Seems like sex brings out all sorts of seemingly irrational behavior and physical changes.  I suspect that like many sexual displays, it's "because he can".  Seems like a lot of changes, plumage displays, body morphs, etc. are simply to get noticed.  Sort of makes sense when you consider that the healthier and more well fed a male is, the more energy he can put into growing strange appendages and colorful feathers, or for that matter, doing highly energetic dances or other physical feats to catch the ladies' eyes. 

Best Regards, Jerry

Monte and Jerry...

Not to hijack the thread, but curiosity made me "Bing" that little knob.  It seems both the male and the female grow these things to show that they are ready for, uh, mating... then it falls off! In my quick search no other reason was given.   So, either it's Pelican Viagra, or these birds are so dumb they need a "green flag" to go... LOL... Mike

A realy good capture with well composed, nice contrast and good detail. Best regards, Linh Dinh

Thanks for the comments Linh!  Great to hear from you.

Thanks for the info!  There I made the assumption it was a male thing, but it looks like equal opportunity hormones.  Best Regards, Jerry

Has been informative, and I'm sure am glad the falling of thing doesn't apply to humans.

Very beautiful photo with perfect exposure and very good use of DOP. Congrats !