A confused pelican landed on the Hampton Roads Bridge during the “Ernesto” this year. William was on his way home when he saw him lying on the bridge. The pelican might of thought that the bridge was the water considering all of the rain that day or perhaps he was blown into oncoming traffic.

William brought the Pelican to me on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, there were no broken bones, just some “road rash”.

He spent one week in a cage outside. He would perch himself high on a branch that my husband had put up for the crows. When he started to perch on it the last couple of days I knew he was ready to go.

On Thursday, my husband, Jimmy, and I took him back out to Willoughby Spit (where he came from) and released him. He walked right out of the cage, paddled a short distance and flapped his wings. Then he started to really flap his wings. He looked like he was running on the water. He took off like an airplane on a runway.

By Pearl Beamer