Photograph

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

If you’ve been to a beach in the Southeastern U.S., you’ve likely encountered a Brown Pelican. A mainstay on piers and docks, and a common sight at the beach as it glides above the ocean in symbiosis with the waves. Catching their prey by diving into the water and stunning small fish close to the surface, they scoop up the little guys with their large bill and expansive throat. While Pelicans drain water from their catch in order to swallow the fish, gulls are known to steal the fish right out of the bigger bird’s mouth. Such theft is common among waterbirds. Pelicans are known to steal from fisherman’s catches, too.

Driven almost to extinction by hunting and then by pesticides including DDT, today the Brown Pelican is an inspirational story of successful species advocacy. Brown Pelicans now flourish once again despite facing near extinction as a result of biocides that linger in the food chain for decades. DDT affected Brown Pelicans extremely harshly due to the way the birds incubate their eggs. Pelicans stand on their eggs, incubating them with their feet. DDT caused the eggshells to be so thin that the weight of the parent, crushed them. The successful rebound of the Brown Pelican shows that while humans have the power to negatively impact the environment, we also have the power to fix and improve what we have damaged. What such success requires; however, is widespread, long-term, collaborative effort.

Fun fact: The oldest Brown Pelican on record was at least 43 years old!

Location

Sanibel Island, FL

Sanibel Island is in southwestern Florida, off the coast of Fort Myers. The island seems to have been created, along with Captiva just north and connected by a short bridge, around 6,000 years ago. The first humans, the Calusa Indian Nation, arrived 3,500 years later.

Sanibel, the city, was formed in 1974. Home to Bailey Tract Wildlife Preserve, The J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge, Bowman’s Beach Park, and Tarpon Bay, all protected areas with abundant wildlife, preserving the natural areas has been a main focus of the city since its founding. Currently, around two-thirds of the island is fully protected from development.

It is also a sanctuary for shellers. Due to its geographic location and the currents that flow around the island, immense numbers of shells wash upon the shores.

Sanibel will always be a special place for me personally. I first visited Sanibel at a mere ten weeks old. From this place, I grew up learning about nature, animals, ecosystems, climate, and our home, planet Earth. When I was a child, we routinely saw Bobcats, 12-16 foot Alligators, and Spoonbill after Spoonbill after Spoonbill. Unfortunately, once abundant wildlife is harder to see unless you know where to look. Some of this change is due to development and the destruction of the habitat, mostly though, its due to our warming climate.

We tend to not think of this in the present moment, but some of these magnificent creatures that I photograph may not be around in another twenty years, much less 100. We must appreciate them while they are still with us.

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1976, and located on the northern side of Sanibel Island, FL, is a part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System. The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the park, supports an environmental education center onsite. The refuge is 5,200 acres, and is one of the nation’s largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems. You can drive through the refuge on a paved road, and still be amongst the wildlife.

I’ve been a frequent visitor to the Refuge since my first days in Sanibel. Over the years, I’ve had too many unique experiences to count: Bottlenose Dolphins and Manatees swimming up to us, only feet away; flocks of Snowy Egrets dancing across the water, catching the first meal of the day; Osprey catching fish from an aerodynamic dive from above; Roseate Spoonbills just standing idly by, seeing them in all their glory has always been special enough.

Ding Darling a special place to me, personally, is also a special place on Earth, too. Flocks of migratory birds are never too distant, and there are endless twists and turns through the mangroves to explore many return visits.

Frame

Woman’s Tongue (Albizia lebbeck)

Albizia Lebbeck, as it is scientifically known, is native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is commonly grown in Australia and other tropic and subtropic places. I get my supply of Woman’s Tongue from Key West, Florida where it is invasive. A wood salvager who has removed the trees from construction sites and properly mills and drys the wood rather than sending it to the dump is my source for a lot of my wood.

The Elements

Fire, Water, Earth, and Air

In the display case in the bottom of the frame, four items are preserved glass vials. The items represent the elements: fire (wood charcoal), water (mineral oil), earth (soil), and air (a milkweed seed). I include these items in my work as a symbol of the interconnectedness of all life on earth, and as a reminder that humans must do better.

The Plaque

I engrave a wooden information plaque for each work. The plaque includes what the photograph is of, the location of the photograph, what type of wood the frame is made of and where I got the wood from. The plaques also explain what the vials are in each display case, and even state the meaning of my logo. The plaques are attached magnetically and can be removed to read or to store on the back of each frame if you prefer not to have it displayed on the front.