Last Frame: An Uncertain Pelican

“I found this brown pelican waking on a cloudy, cold morning—especially for southern Louisiana—after a shower passed over the area earlier that morning,” explains Dawn Wilson. “There’s a series of pilings along a canal near Lake Pontchartrain where pelicans and other coastal birds rest each evening. The morning can be a great time to catch the birds stirring before they head out to the lake to fish. This particular morning was December 30, 2020, when the world was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. This bird’s very vigorous shake caused his wings to shrug and made me think he asked, ‘What will 2021 be like?’”

See more of Dawn Wilson’s work at dawnwilsonphotography.com.

Nikon D4S, AF-S NIKKOR 500mm F4G ED VR, AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, NatureScapes SkimmerSack. Exposure: 1/1600 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 800.