To watch a flock of Brown Pelicans fly in formation is mesmerizing. They line up behind one another, often in V-shaped formations behind a lead bird. Sometimes, a single long line of birds will undulate up and down as they fly along, as if showing off their skills at “follow the leader.” As if on cue, they will often all stop flapping their wings and just glide.
I love to stop and watch these areal dances. But back in the mid 90’s I was asked a question by a friend that changed the way I watched flocks of pelicans for years. My friend Jerry Porche asked this question – “Why do pelicans always fly in odd-numbered flocks?” Now, so you know, this friend is a fellow Cajun and what we call “canaille” – mischievous, so I suspected he was at least in part trying to mess with me. He got the trait from his father Roland and passed it on to his son Erick.
What followed were several years of me trying to prove him wrong. Instead of stopping to marvel at passing flocks of pelicans, I counted every bird! Whether 3 or 103, every flock was odd-numbered. A single bird is not a flock by the way, in case you were wondering. But then a few years into my quest, I was driving across a local bridge and spotted two pelicans flying across the road.
You can imagine my joy! I couldn’t wait to get to a phone (in the days before cell phones) to share the news with Jerry. “Hey Jerry, a flock of two pelicans flew across the bridge this morning!”, I joyously reported. And just like that, with his quick and sarcastic wit he said, “Awww, the third bird is just running late!” How can you argue with that type of logic! We laughed many times over the years about that – he would bring it up every chance he could.
Thus began my pelican flock viewing recovery. It took several more years to slowly stop counting pelicans in flocks, except for birds that I counted for annual Christmas Bird Counts. And yes, odd numbers all. But the silver lining of this story is not Jerry’s theory about odd-numbered flocks of pelicans.
And it is not about whether the birding world has ever contemplated the same question. It is simply that a friend, who may have never stopped to truly watch birds, made an observation that piqued his curiosity about what he saw, and thought enough of me that I might know the answer. That was his gift to me, although at the time, I did not see it.
Because of our friendship and perchance for one-upping one another (I too have been accused of being canaille), the nature of his gift “flew” right past me. I jokingly told many a person how Jerry had ruined pelican watching for me. What I realize now is that what his query really represented was the igniting of his broader curiosity about nature. I had, I dare say, inspired him to count birds in a flock and ask me about it.
We all have that capacity to inspire people around us about our passions, whether we realize it or not. In those simple acts of sharing, you too may inspire someone, and that is your gift.
As for pelicans, I do spot two-pelican flocks now and again. But my response to watching them fly along is to remember my late friend Jerry. I chuckle, call out his name – loudly, but move along quickly, before that darn third bird shows up!
Hope to see you in our great outdoors!
Title image of original painting by my friend, naturalist, and artist, Chester O. Martin