Growing up in New England, most of my early experiences with pelicans involved television cartoons. I was always fascinated with their big, flexible-bottom bills, so much so that I was disappointed when my dad (a marine biology major) explained that pelicans only appear that way for brief moments when they're eating. Still, the pelican took on an almost mythical meaning for me - enough so that I was still excited in my late 20s when I finally got to see and photograph the birds in the Florida Keys.
