The weather last weekend was wonderful: cooler and less humidity. I came out of my self-imposed cave both days and managed to grab some photos to share.
Saturday I went to the St. Louis Zoo. While there, we had a chance to talk with one of the wild bird keepers about the American White Pelicans in the artificial lake. We noticed that the pelicans seemed to be diving their beaks into the water in unison, and the keeper said the behavior is called “driving”. Pelicans work together using this technique to drive fish into more shallow waters, in order to make them easier to grab.
However, while we were watching, we noticed that one of the pelicans had a duck in its mouth. It would scoop it up, and then dump it out. A little alarmed, we asked the keeper if the pelicans actually ate duck. He replied that no, none of the ducks are harmed. What they think is happening is that the pelicans are playing with the ducks, like a toy.
Bit hard on the duck, but the pelicans looked like they were having a lot of fun.
Sunday, I broke my rule about only staying in the city during Missouri summers, and went to the Shaw Nature Center, about 20 miles outside the city. The Center was lovely, with several summer wildflowers still in full bloom, and masses of dragonflies and butterflies.
Unfortunately, either I was too careless about brushing up against bushes trying to take photos, or for some other reason, I ended up pretty chewed up by chiggers. Since I tend to react badly to chigger bites, I had a somewhat unpleasant week. I must say, though, it was worth it: the trip was beautiful, and it was so nice to get out of the city. I can’t wait for the Fall.
You can see now why I called my Missouri specific site “MissouriGreen”.