Take Off
by Dawn Currie
Title
Take Off
Artist
Dawn Currie
Medium
Photograph - Digital
Description
Photographic artwork by Dawn Currie. Brown Pelican taking off from the beach in Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida.
Juried Gallery Exhibitions and Art Shows
- Solo Exhibition "Birds and More"
- Dixie Crossroads
- Holmes Regional Medical Center
- Melbourne Beach Library Calendar
- Space Coast Cancer Center
Featured on Fine Art America/Pixels:
- A Birding Group - Wings
- ABC Group - W is for Wings
- Beauty
- Bird Watchers
- Coastal Water Birds-Shore Birds
- FAA Portraits - Birds
- I Love Nature Photography
- Lady Photographers and Artists
- Nature Photography
- Premium FAA Artists
- Wild Birds Of The World
- Wildlife
- Women Photographers
- 10 Plus Favorites
- 500 Views
Awards:
Bird of the Month - Pelican Island Audubon Society
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis): The Brown Pelican is a comically elegant bird with an oversized bill, sinuous neck, and big, dark body. They feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up. When not foraging, pelicans stand around fishing docks, jetties, and beaches or cruise the shoreline.
While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch - sometimes while perching on the pelican's head. Pelicans themselves are not above stealing fish, as they follow fishing boats and hang around piers for handouts.
In flight, lines of pelicans glide on their broad wings, often surfing updrafts along wave faces or cliffs. Their wingbeats are slow, deep, and powerful. Squadrons glide above the surf along southern and western coasts, rising and falling in a graceful echo of the waves.
Adult Brown Pelicans are gray-brown birds with yellow heads and white necks. In breeding plumage, the back and sides of the neck turn a rich, dark reddish-brown. Immatures are gray-brown above (including the head and neck) with pale whitish belly and breast. The oldest Brown Pelican on record was 43 years of age.
They are fairly common today-an excellent example of a species' recovery from pollution that once placed them at the brink of extinction.
My favorite place for observing and photographing the Brown Pelican is Sebastian Inlet State Park on the Atlantic Coast of Florida.
Uploaded
January 21st, 2014
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Comments (62)
Don Columbus
Congratulations Dawn, your work is Featured in "A Birding Group - Wings" I invite you to place it in the group's "2019 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet
William Tasker
Brilliant composition, Dawn! Thank you for your submission to Wild Birds Of The World - A Nature Photography Group, where this image is now featured on the homepage. L/F
Luther Fine Art
Congratulations! Your marvelous art has been featured on the Home Page of the ABC Group. This art has been selected from the ABC Group's W IS FOR WINGS week.You are invited to add this to the features archive discussions and in another discussion in ABC Group
Morris Finkelstein
Beautiful flight photo of a Brown Pelican taking off from a beach, with great timing, colors, clarity, perspective and composition, Dawn! F/L
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups nominated images by your fellow artist in the Special Features #6 promotion discussion. Please visit and pass on the love to another artist.
Sabrina Wheeler
This is really stunning! I love the shadows and the composition contrasts happening in colors! My eyes don't stray as they are caught in the balances. l/f
Kathryn Launey
Your description of pelicans as "comically elegant" is especially apt for your image. The likelihood that this pelican will actually get completely airborne seems doubtful. Making him visually the weightiest element of your photograph creates wonderful tension and sense of anticipation. No wonder this piece of art is popular.
Carl Moore
Dawn you never seize to amaze me, your captures of wild birds is stunning! Having multiple element components in this image keeps my eyes focused! The clarity of the pelican in flight is jaw dropping. The shadows really capture the light. Thank you for sharing such a lovely image!
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