Pelicans, Puerto Rico

I caught this pelican in flight one morning. The bird gliding silently across the sea moved without moving. A paradox? Sometimes they glide by in pairs or in larger formations shaped in a V. They are quite aware of what is below them and when they spot a ball of fish proceed to dive down, catch and then swallow the small fish. They might sit for a bit on the water and then awkwardly and slowly start to walk, skip, hop and fly in a take-off. At evening's end they will fly to roosts in nearby trees... and at dawn return to hunt. Fishermen are also aware of the pelicans and will follow them to spots where they see these large birds hitting the water. Sometimes when the smaller, bait fish come to the surface it means that below are the larger fish out hunting the small ones ... and so it goes.

Fishing boat in Puerto Rico

Walking down the beach from the Lemontree is always fun. Each time we pass this boat we smile…how joyful this boat is and how happy its owner must be to step into it and go out and fish. You can see in the photograph that he has a wench to pull it in and out of the ocean and up onto the beach. All boats must be registered and are given a number and a seal that you see here. This fellow has also named his boat. He has named it Cucaracha. We don't know why he named his boat this but the song "La Cucaracha" is of Spanish origin.

The most traditional Spanish version is as follows:

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,

Ya no puede caminar

Porque no tiene, porque le falta

Las dos patitas de atras

English

The cockroach, the cockroach,

Can't walk anymore

Because it doesn't have, because it's lacking

Its two back feet

This boat isn't walking...its gliding over the waves!

We see fishermen almost daily out with their nets and lines and some sell fish by the side of the road. If you are really lucky, one of them will become your friend and you will be on the “short list” for lobster and fresh fish!