This is a photo of a Brown Pelican in South Carolina soaring over the marsh. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph this intriguing bird. Not because I was in the right spot, with the right lens and the right settings at the right time. No, I was fortunate that in 1972 the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT. After being decimated by DDT, the Brown Pelican was declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Conservation Act. After recovering, they were taken off the endangered list in 2009.
I am thankful for the efforts of those that helped to save this beautiful bird and allowed me to have this photo opportunity.
“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, what if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?” – Rachel Carson
