Turf Wars

Full time pelican residents find themselves, once again, fighting for their turf as the

arrival of wintering pelicans increases. It mattered not what direction I looked,
bickering was going on EVERYWHERE!  I missed a LOT of hysterical photo
opportunities because I was laughing so hard at their antics, and I took even
more that ended up not being in focus due to my giggling jiggling the camera,

but here are the few that I did manage to get.

There are plenty of sunken logs...enough for each pelican to have their own even,

but apparently the "vacationers" think the locals should share their favorite spots.

This local wasn't gonna budge

 until the vacationer starting snapping and poking at him. 

This pelican had been sleeping, and the quacking of the ducks woke him up.
He stretches, unaware that his spot has been targeted by a vacationer...

or perhaps the vacationer simply misread the local's wingspan gesture,

mistaking it for a planned flight...(yeah, right!)...so here he comes.

And since I don't have one of those fancy cameras that can click off ten pictures in a
second, I wasn't able to capture the next couple of combat moves which resulted
in the local being dumped into the water. Then, to add insult to injury, the vacationer
pocked him in the backside, as if to hurry him in his departure.

The new King of the Log!

This Great Egret had been minding her own business all morning.

Even with the arrival of a local, she remained content.

She dare not turn her head, as if not wanting to be a witness to what was about to happen,

but we both knew - based on the mouth position and noises coming from the vacationer -

 that it wasn't gonna be a pretty sight!

The Great Egret couldn't help herself, however, from turning and watching

the vacationer attack the backside of the local, pushing him forward and 

sending him stumbling off the log.

(It was a good thing my camera was strapped around my neck because

I almost dropped it from laughing so hard!)

For the next several hours the same ritual would take place...

a vacationer conquering a local...a local conquering a vacationer...

and the Great Egret remained on the throne until...

I glanced around just as this pelican was extending his neck forward to position himself to

bring it back into a preening position. When he did, he accidentally poked the Great Egret!

In her attempt to steady herself, she went off the log backwards, caught herself just as she

reached the water, and then took off as if to say: "ENOUGH ALREADY!"

By the time we left, the locals had started staying in groups of three or four. I watched as

vacationers attempted to land on the log with this trio (who obviously were NOT

the White Rock welcoming committee!) The minute one would head toward the

 log, it was discouraged by the outstretching of wings, which worked EVERY time.

What a good  plan they had...for now.  It will be a different story, though, when all

the vacationers arrive because they waaaaaaay outnumber the locals. 

Both sides should be wearing signs that read: "Does not play well with others!"