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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Winter Visitors (Tuesday Evening Open Thread)

Winter Visitors (Tuesday Evening Open Thread)

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We have a delightful brown pelican population year-round on the west coast of Florida, but during the winter, white pelicans migrate here:

white pelicans

They’re big as Thanksgiving turkeys — much larger than the brown pelicans. They look all white, but when they’re flying you can see that their wings have a nice dark trim on the trailing edge.

PS: My NYT app just told me that the House and Senate have negotiated a budget deal. The Heritage Foundation and Koch Bros. are squawking, so maybe it’s a GOOD thing. We’ll see. Please feel free to discuss whatever.

Reader Interactions

88Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    Right wing squawking is par for the course. Even if the deal is just ok, it will hopefully provide some economic stability and encourage hiring.

  2. 2.

    Big R

    Day one of the Facebook withdrawal tracking system: twenty-three attempts to navigate to a page that no longer goes anywhere. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

  3. 3.

    Juju

    Protocol tells me I have to start with Dronze…so Dronze.

    Those are beautiful white pelicans. I love to watch for brown and black pelicans when I go to Hatteras island in NC. I don’t think I’ve ever seen white pelicans here.

  4. 4.

    Liquid

    I was perusing the documentaries on hbo go and noticed “Saving Pelican 895,” a victim of the Deepwater Horizon spill. It did a great job detailing just how much effort and care, thanks to very dedicated people, it takes to save these poor birds.

    Although personally I still believe the whole oil spill was just a giant conspiracy by seabirds to get free baths…

  7. 7.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Something I enjoyed on the PBS Newshour yesterday, during an interview with Carlos Santana , when he was asked about Nelson Mandela:

    I was honored to celebrate Mr. Desmond Tutu’s birthday in South Africa in 2006. And we were in the presence of both of them. And it was really quite endearing to watch both of them pick on each other. You know, at that time, Mr. Desmond Tutu was saying, “For God’s sake, man, marry the woman. You know, you can’t be shacking with her,” you know, because…

    (LAUGHTER)

    JEFFREY BROWN: This is a side of them we don’t usually hear about.

    CARLOS SANTANA: And Mandela goes, “I don’t take orders from a guy in a skirt,” you know? They were going back and forth, you know? And, for us, it was really funny to watch two giants pick on each other like little children.

    This was also notable:

    And so the main thing that I remember is my love for — at that time, we used to call it musica tropical. Now they call it salsa, but it’s always been African music, you know, music that comes from Africa to Cuba or Puerto Rico

    Yep. Few people realize that that stuff is pretty much straight out of Africa, as we all are.

  8. 8.

    BethanyAnne

    Oh, and the BoingBoing comments had an aphorism that I hadn’t heard before: “If there actually were any good cops, there wouldn’t be any bad ones.” I like that.

  12. 12.

    PsiFighter37

    So apparently Barack took a selfie with the prime minster of Denmark and David Cameron?

    Not really a huge deal IMO, but pretty damn stupid and senseless to do at a remembrance service. If I were Michelle, I’d be throwing the same kind of shade his way.

    Whatever, as long as it gives the right something new to gripe about instead of ACA…

  13. 13.

    Davebo

    Do they have the black tipped wings? Used to love it when they came through when I was a kid.

    All the Egrets and other waterfowl would give way for them. Which was odd as they were normally they were so territorial.

    Guess they knew they were just passing through.

  14. 14.

    Cacti

    I got myself deleted over at Thehill.com for posting that Nelson Mandela was like the George Washington of his people, except he never retired to oversee a plantation with 200 white slaves.

    Pissed the wingers off something terrible.

    :-)

  17. 17.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @PsiFighter37:

    as long as it gives the right something new to gripe about

    Yeah like they need reasons to gripe.

    Guy said hey let’s get a picture of the three of us and took one. Never happened before at a memorial gathering in the history of the world I’m sure.

  18. 18.

    kindness

    The budget deal – yea it’s OK if you like beating up on the poors.

    What I don’t get is that beating up on the poors is fine but asking the rich to forget about a couple loopholes is like shaking hands with Hitler. I would think compromise offers up I’ll give you something and you give me something. Not I’ll give you something and that is it.

  19. 19.

    Hill Dweller

    @PsiFighter37: It was a memorial service, but here was nothing really formal about the proceedings. People were dancing in the stands; politicians were taking pictures and chatting up people beside them. Moreover, I think the selfie was taken before proceedings started.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    @Liquid:

    Meh. Honestly, our First Lady has the kind of face that naturally looks very severe unless she’s actually smiling. So I wouldn’t be surprised if her thoughts were more along the lines of, Gotta order those Skylanders figures the girls want for Christmas.

  22. 22.

    Liquid

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah but notice that they switched seats and he seems very absorbed in the service after that.

    I think it’s funny as hell. It is the Danish prime minister after all. Besides funeral selfies are a thing now, thanks Reddit.

  23. 23.

    Cacti

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    Guy said hey let’s get a picture of the three of us and took one. Never happened before at a memorial gathering in the history of the world I’m sure.

    And of course, I remember all this same sort of shit being said when all of the not-from-Arizona people were saying that the memorial service for the Tucson shootings was too festive.

    Some people just need something to be offended about, no matter the occasion.

  25. 25.

    RandomMonster

    I only occasionally see white pelicans here in Northern California. Once there was one hanging around the marina and I was astounded by what a big bird it was. Really cool!

    This year there were apparently some huge schools of bait fish running off the coast, because there were several weeks where there were literally thousands of brown pelicans dive-bombing Surfer’s Beach in Half Moon Bay. Such an amazing sight.

  26. 26.

    Mnemosyne

    @Liquid:

    Even if that was the case, I’m pretty sure the thinking was Let’s not give the MSM anything to whine about rather than Stop flirting with that blonde prime minister! which is what some people at Gawker were trying to turn it into.

  27. 27.

    Cacti

    @Hill Dweller:

    It was a memorial service, but here was nothing really formal about the proceedings. People were dancing in the stands; politicians were taking pictures and chatting up people beside them. Moreover, I think the selfie was taken before proceedings started.

    This.

    The entire tone of the proceedings was celebratory. They were commemorating a man who lived a long and full life of 95 years. This wasn’t MLK or JFK getting cut down in his prime by an assassin.

  28. 28.

    Liquid

    @Mnemosyne: That is exactly what I thought when I saw the first pic – “Oh lord, another scandal. I just hope you don’t shake hands with some sibling of a former revolutionary.”

  29. 29.

    Hill Dweller

    @Liquid: There are pictures of the PO, MO and the Danish Prime Minister having a conversation, and MO laughing.

    How can anyone who has watched MO since she has been in the public eye think she would be threatened by her husband talking to another woman?

  31. 31.

    Cacti

    @Hill Dweller:

    How can anyone who has watched MO since she has been in the public eye and think she would be threatened by her husband talking to another woman?

    Not to mention, the whole “black man flirts with white woman while his wife fumes” subtext, is kind of, ya know…extremely racist.

  33. 33.

    Roxy

    @RandomMonster: Lots of pelicans in the Pacifica area. I’ve been trying to get a picture of one for a few months. I was on the Pacifica pier looking out on the water and turned around and there was this big beautiful pelican that had landed right on top of the rail. I was so excited that I almost dropped my camera. It was as if the pelican was reading my mind. He did some great poses. I have to admit I got some great pictures. Dang I wish I could post my favorite picture

  35. 35.

    Karen in GA

    The thread, eet ees open, yes? Then here is where I ask, is the Pets of Balloon Juice calendar available yet?

    I’ll bet there’s a link to click, clear as day, and I’m just looking right past it. I tend to do that.

  36. 36.

    KG

    @Hill Dweller: well, we are talking about people who hold Gingrich and McCain in high regard, and their actions regarding wives isn’t great, so everyone must do it!

  38. 38.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    I love this time of year for overwintering birds here in North Carolina. We always plan a trip up to Lake Mattamuskeet which is a haven for overwintering snow geese among others. There are several wildlife viewing spots where you can stand and film and listen to the absolute din of thousands of snow geese yelling at each other, large rafts of coots floating by looking for all the world like a black ink dot on the water, thousands of Canada geese, and a myriad of other birds who make the lake their home for the winter. It is truly magical.

  39. 39.

    Roxy

    @Jebediah, RBG: No. Mr. Bean is a British situation comedy television programme series of fourteen 25-minute episodes written by and starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character and yes there were a couple of movies about the character Mr. Bean. Sean Bean is an actor that seems to portray characters that die early in TV shows and movies

  45. 45.

    jayboat

    Love the white pelicans.
    They are plentiful down here in winter. I read somewhere they migrate a fairly long way.
    This flock from near Sanibel.

  47. 47.

    J R in WV

    Some years ago I was in Wyoming and camped on the Green River in June. The next morning we woke up and were enjoying the beauty of the deep river, when here came a giant white bird floating down the swiftly flowing stream.

    A giant white pelican!

    We saw dozens of them, interspersed with little inflatable boats with fishermen in them. Almost more amazing than the rock collecting, but not quite.

    They were huge, and serene, floating down the river. Beautiful.

  49. 49.

    Hill Dweller

    @Liquid: If you’re talking about the pic I linked, I’m not sure when it was taken. But the “selfie” with PO, Cameron and the Danish PM seems to have been taken either before it started or after it finished, because there are empty seats visible.

  52. 52.

    Yatsuno

    @J R in WV: I have a friend who used to work for the Bureau of Land Management. One of the more interesting points she made is how the damming of the Columbia River had changed the ecology of Northern Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The accumulating moisture increased the average rainfall in the area, sometimes more than 2 inches a year. In ecological terms that’s huge, and also creates more impressive clouds and storms.

  56. 56.

    Liquid

    @Hill Dweller: I think the real story is who decided the Danish PM would be seated next to the Pres. It’s good to see more “human” moments and this whole thing has been blown way, waaay out of proportion.

    I was watching the thing live on Al Jazeera (MSNBC was aghast that mere peasants might be allowed to attend. Oh the irony) and if/when it happened I didn’t notice. Still, I love it. His expression is priceless.

  58. 58.

    Melissa

    Nice to sees picture of the wintering white pelicans. In the summer they’re here where I live in Saskatchewan. Beautiful, remarkable, but mean—like swans.

  59. 59.

    Liquid

    @Roger Moore: Actually there’s a deleted scene (plus director commentary) that says he was killed shortly after he couldn’t remember the color of the boathouse at Hereford.

  60. 60.

    Roger Moore

    @kindness:

    What I don’t get is that beating up on the poors is fine but asking the rich to forget about a couple loopholes is like shaking hands with Hitler

    It’s very simple: the rich only respond to rewards for good behavior and the poor only respond to punishment for bad behavior. If you want the rich to stop behaving like assholes, you have to bribe them. If you want the poor to stop begging for bread, you have to throw them in the most brutal jails imaginable.

  62. 62.

    Liquid

    @Roger Moore: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.” – Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara

  63. 63.

    jayboat

    Birds are interesting subject matter.

    I was on the Ft Myers Beach pier and nearby dredging had created a small island of the spoils.
    It was covered with birds– pelicans, gulls, cormorants terns …
    I knew sooner or later something was gonna spook em, so I zoomed in and waited…

  66. 66.

    TaMara (BHF)

    White pelicans are the harbingers of the start of spring and the end of summer here. It always starts with just one or two arriving sometime in April, then the flock. When they arrive, winter is officially over. Same with summer/fall, once they’re all gone, we know, it’s winter.

    Love those birds.

  74. 74.

    jayboat

    @raven:
    Love those subtle early morning colors.

    I have a fair amount of contact with bird ops because a)I live next door to the Everglades and b)I’m around water a lot- on a boat or waiting for boats. I’m on this bridge 5 or 6 times a year- it is one of my favorite places because of the serene environment. There’s no development anywhere in sight. I’ve captured some nice bird shots there.

  75. 75.

    jayboat

    @TaMara (BHF):
    I live in Naples. Travel to boating events all over the country and many in the area. Our local club holds 6 runs every year that all start at the Sanibel Causeway. To see that area properly you need to do it by boat- hope you do. 8-] Useppa Island, Keywadin…

    This was last Saturday northbound in the ICW to Charlotte Harbor for lunch. Sanibel in the background.

  76. 76.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @jayboat: I’ve sailed around the area and also in a larger motor boat. I would love to do the Christmas lights one year. I’ve also kayaked the mangrove swamps and came up on a manatee among other wildlife.

  80. 80.

    Betty Cracker

    @raven: I do. I don’t check it as often as I should, but if you give me a heads-up in comments that you’ve sent email, I’ll take a look.

  81. 81.

    RandomMonster

    @Roxy: Yes, whales! Just a couple months ago I went whale-watching for the first time in my life, and wow did I pick a fantastic year. Saw dozens and dozens of whales. An amazing, unforgettable experience.

  85. 85.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @TaMara (BHF):

    Same with summer/fall, once they’re all gone, we know, it’s winter.

    “Summerfall” is what I shall name my sprawling country estate. When I get around to having a sprawling country estate.

  88. 88.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @Liquid:
    Yes! Maybe we can get Rowan Atkinson to play Mr Sean Bean, have the big shootout, then retire to my mountain retreat, Winterspring, to eat quiches made from Betty’s hens’ eggs.

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