Today, driving down the freeway to work. I was lucky enough to catch from the corner of my eye something in the sky.
Flying west to east as I drove north to south was a Pelican.
Driving underneath gave me a view that was almost cinematic in the way our paths crossed.
Since I was a young lad I was always impressed by Pelicans,
My Dad once made a miniature zoo out of polystyrene packaging which he filled with a Tiger, an Alligator, an Elephant, a Gorilla and a Pelican.
For some reason that was the one figure that survived the years until it eventually got lost in a move in my mid twenties.
When Pelicans are in full flight they look so majestic, with their massive wingspan, sleek body and long bill that shows no sign of the droopy sack that we usually associate with them.
That brief but wonderful view reminded me of a Pterosaur that we see so often these days in the movies and documentaries thanks to CG technology.
It was like I had been trapped in a time warp. I tried to turn my head almost to I hurt my neck to follow it , luckily I did because I had momentarially forgotten that I was driving down a busy motorway.
The speed that I was traveling and, now I think a bout it, the low altitude the bird was flying made it look so big and inspiring.
I’ve been lucky enough to see Pelicans in many an environment, every zoo in my hometown of Melbourne seems to keep a good population, I’ve seen flocks flying overhead in Northern Queensland and once a couple of years ago sat and watched one solitary creature in my local arboretum.
Why he was there was anyone’s guess but it didn’t take long for him to draw a massive crowd.
I felt lucky today, I felt it was a blessing and for the whole day I was in good spirits.
Maybe, just maybe the Pelican is my spirit bird.