Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2018

39 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestOfMP.com feature pretty much came across as a grouch. “Fine, you win,” I grumbled. I figured that if this was the bar for fun that humans were trying to reach, we had them completely beat. On the other hand, I had never tasted a soda. Nor had I befriended the neighbors; all they did was steal my fish. At the end of the day, Pauline and I turned in our boards. We’d gone next to no distance – the shortest trek I’d made in my entire bird life – and we were somehow still tired. I guess it was all that maneuvering. “You know,” Pauline mused later over dinner. “I think these humans want a taste of freedom, like what we have and take for granted. I think that’s what they are after, using these paddleboards. It gets them away from the road and whatever else bothers them.” She giggled: “They’re trying to be more like us! And we were trying to be more like them!” I dabbed a little bit of hot sauce on my shrimp and gulped it down. “You’re right, Pauline,” I said. The next morning, I decided to write the essay you’re holding in your hands now. I wanted everyone who reads Mount Pleasant Magazine to understand that, yes, even we birds get that “grass is greener” syndrome once in a while. However, it’s important not to take your lifestyle for granted. In other words, while you, dear human reader, might have candy and air conditioning, I’d rather live my life as bird. It’s nice from up here. Did you know? • According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the first eastern brown pelican was described in 1789 and came from the Charleston Harbor. • It is the only species of pelican that isn’t white. • A pelican’s diet consists of only fish – and they do not store food in their pouches. • Nesting grounds include the states of North Carolina, Scouth Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. • These pelicans have only one breeding partner throughout the spring/summer breeding season. • The species was endangered in 1970, with a population of less than 100, but made a comeback after the United States banned pesticides such as DDT in 1972. The Brown Pelican Recovery Plan of 1979 also contributed to population recovery.