Things beginning with P

Seeing the pelican on the pier in Naples get hooked by the fisherman and then un-hooked and released gave us a wonderful idea for when we returned home and had a free day.

 When Jacob was just a nipper growing up his father owned a yacht club  which coincidentally was called Pelican Harbour Yacht Club. Where the yacht club once stood is now a seabird station and a rescue centre for injured birds, mainly pelicans, aptly named Pelican Harbor. On Monday afternoon we drove the girls to North Miami and took them there. For years injured pelicans have naturally taken themselves there for help. It relies one hundred percent on donations and is an awesome organisation.

We were able to wander around and see various birds in various states of convalescing. Even after the birds are well and are released from the massive cages many of them never leave they stay in the area and in some cases they stay right there and take up residence. Some are never able to leave again as their injuries leave them maimed for life and they won't survive in the wild again so Pelican Harbour has a few permanent residents.

Most of the injuries are caused by fishing hooks and one of the doctors showed the girls some of the hooks that they have removed from the birds and then showed them some x-rays showing fishing hooks inside the birds. It's so sad. The other big injury is to their pouches, again usually by hooks. BAD FISHERMEN! (that's for my dad and cousin Richie Rich).

We only stayed a little while cos it was, in Rosie's words, "a bit stinky" but the girls got to see how important it is to be responsible with your garbage and fishing tackle and how when you aren't it impacts our wildlife in unimaginable ways. We were able to see how, with a little TLC, all these birds can recuperate from the wounds and be released back into nature and they were able to donate some money to help this programme keep going and stop the brown pelican from ever going extinct again. All these birds are free to leave, all once again healthy, but they choose to stay

This guy looks a little bashful

This one was trying to look small and discrete

I saw this guy as we walked back to the car, I think he was just visiting but I am not sure he may have been a former patient.

Once we left here we plugged "parks" into the GPS and headed to one that it chose. The girls loved it, I just hope we remember which one it was. Lily posing for a picture. I think these days are coming to an end

Hanging about

On top of the world

RoRo in a rocketship

It took Ro ages to walk across this balance beam. Her balance is rubbish, i couldn't stop laughing at how bad she was at it. Practice needed for sure.

Another fun day.