Pelican
We were on a catamaran trip in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Looking around it seemed as if every boat had a visiting pelican or two, hitching a ride for the free fishy meal. The pelican on our boat stayed for the whole 2 hour trip and, never having been at such close quarters with these birds before, I took the opportunity to study it in detail. I was fascinated by the structure of the bill; the pouch seemed almost leathery and the bill was huge, of course. The bird preened extensively and I was struck by the different formations of its feathers, stiff for the wing feathers, but in comparison the body feathers were quite soft and downy, and the delicate way in which it used its bill to separate the breast feathers gave me a great opportunity for a close-up.