pelican diving 10 low res

 The Brown Pelican is probably the most common bird along the coast of the Sea of Cortez. They fly along the coast in huge groups in mornings on their way to hunt for fish. Then you see them returning to their roosts as the sun goes down. It's fascinating to watch groups of pelicans diving for fish. During a dive, the pelican tucks its head and twists 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. I took hundreds of photographs of diving pelicans before I finally managed to catch the bird just before he hit the water during his dive. (Second photo).