The Silent Flight

I captured these images one early morning in the mountains of northern Greece. The lake was just stirring to life, the last wisps of mist lifting from its surface, when an enormous pelican glided silently past, impossibly low over the water.

Despite their imposing size, pelicans are remarkably skilled fishers. Their distinctive throat pouch isn't used to store prey, as many people believe. Instead, it works like a giant scoop, allowing the bird to gather fish along with a large mouthful of water before draining the water away and swallowing its catch.

On land, pelicans appear somewhat awkward, but in the air they become astonishingly graceful. With a wingspan of nearly three metres, they ride rising air currents with ease, soaring for long periods with barely a wingbeat.

Encountering a pelican in the wild is always a privilege. Moments like these are why I keep returning to mountain lakes before dawn.

Zagori, Greece.
July, 2018.
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