Recently I went to Goolwa for a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the movie 'Storm Boy' which was filmed in the Coorong and nearby Goolwa and Port Elliot. Boat enthusiasts have restored the little boat from the film and it was displayed in the Centenary Hall car park. Also on display were posters, photos and other film memorabilia. Along with 200 people I listened to a talk about Colin Thiele, the South Australian author who had written the novel 'Storm Boy' back in 1964. But the film, released in 1976, was a huge success for the fledgling Australian film industry, as well as endearing us forever to pelicans. The highlight of the afternoon was a showing of the movie; there were lots of sniffles when we learnt of Mr Percival's fate and more when we saw the baby pelicans.
So the pelican (Pelicanus Conspicillatus) is my current favourite bird. I spotted them in a lagoon in Berri and on the Murray River in Renmark on our recent trip. And here in Encounter Bay and beyond we are blessed with a plentiful supply: in the Hindmarsh estuary, the Inman River, the Murray over at Goolwa, and the Coorong peninsula.
I love how noble and graceful they look as they glide across the tannin-coloured waters of the estuary or strut along the white sand beaches, or suddenly pierce the surface of the water with their long pink beak to nibble a fish. I adore the way it opens its pouch to gobble its meal, as in the next photo.
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| On the Murray River |
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| On the Coorong |
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The Onkaparinga River
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My camera can't get enough of them. Just turn your head a little more to the left Mr Percival.....
Pelicans are my FAVOURITE bird. They used to arrive at Albeet Park Lake in the winter but we have not seen them in two years. When I was last in Albany we drove out for an hour just to find some pellies. When they fly they look like galleons.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like them too. I know you had a photo in your blog because I remember one of the pelicans had been eating squid and the beak was all black!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great event. I still think of pelicans as signs of good luck. Can't swear to it but I think I saw 3 pelicans wheeling over the Spring Bay Hotel yesterday. I haven't seen pelicans in flight for ages.
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