Pelicans are really weird-looking birds. They don't look like they should fly, swim, or even catch fish particularly well. Overall, they look like they should be really awkward at everything – they're not, but they look like they should be. Being around the pelicans at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge has made me realize that they look creepy as all get-out up close. Creepy in a vaguely prehistoric way. And they watch you as closely as (maybe more closely than) you watch them. I still love watching them fly and bob around in the water; I just get a little creeped out by them now and again.
I didn't realize that American white pelicans get a strange fan-shaped protrusion on their upper bill when they become breeding-age. The first time I saw one with the plate, I thought there was something wrong with it. It definitely adds to the illusion of awkwardness.
These are juvenile American white pelicans. You can tell by their greyish feathers (and lack of weird bill plate). These three pelicans were catching all sorts of fish.
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