James The Young Brown Pelican by Bob Kranich

James The Young Brown Pelican
by Bob Kranich

(Excerpt 2)

This is a new story. We are first introduced to James the young Brown pelican, and a young fellow who is sketching him on the docks of Key West. James is now going to do some soaring.

There’s only one way. He jumped up from the piling and flapped his wings a couple of times. This put him right over the young person. He looked down at the flat in the person’s hand and was pleasantly surprised.

“Wow, I look pretty good!” he said with a squawk.

James then dipped his left wing, and did an up and down push with his right. His whole body did a quick 180 degrees and he headed out and away from the Key West Mallory city docks.

He was headed south. On his left was the U. S. Navy yard with its submarines and large supply ships. He pumped his long and broad wings, rose up, and then soared and glided. He loved to do this. His wings had not fully developed to their maximum of six feet total wing span. When that happens he thought, I will really be able to move!

He glided into a left turn so he could parallel the beach along Key West’s southernmost point. He looked down at a beautiful structure with a prominent tower and pointed roof. It was the Southern most house.

As he coasted lazily at about 100 feet high and 100 yards off-shore, he was suddenly aware of some pelicans who had come up on either side of him.

“ Hey James, what you do’n?” the one on his left said.

The one on the right piped in, “We were looking for you. Have you been trying to attain the altitude record again?”

“Yessiree!” the one on the left said, and then they both laughed with a lot of squawking.

“Or maybe you have been down at the docks again, observing just how to be human!” one who had just joined the group from behind said sarcastically.

James knew these pesky pelicans. They were all his age and from his original breeding colony which had been located on a small deserted key north of Key West.

“Hey James,” the leader of the group on his left said, “We’re going down to skim some waves and fill our pouches with fish. Want to come along?”

“All you guys think of is eating,” James said.

“Yeah man!” they all said in unison.

James glided as all three dropped down, down, down. He could see them line up single file as they skimmed the foaming top of a long breaking wave. Then, as one, they all hit the water with their beaks, dipping their pouches in the wave top. They must have come upon a school of small fish pushed to the top by the wave action. He looked back, and he could see them floating there as a couple of gallons of water drained from each of their pouches. Once the water was out, they then could swallow the small fish whole!

They all were floating with hardly any of their bodies below the surface of the water. This was because of the air sacs under their skin and breast and the air pockets in their bones.

James just did not want to be part of their follow-the-leader game.

From the Author:

“James the Young Brown Pelican” is a fictional story of a young Brown pelican. He is dissatisfied with the pelican’s normal way of life, just looking for fish and eating. He wants to so something else with his life. He is excited about flying high and a speedy dive. This is a Christian book about faith and you will learn more about the life of pelicans. Since the Brown pelican is found along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, you will also learn about the pelican’s life in the Florida Keys and Key West itself.

The book is illustrated by watercolors, sketches, and photos, to include many photos by the great nature photographer, Ron Reznick.