Gorgeous weather today.
This guy looks a little bit dishevelled though. Maybe he also had a wine too many last night.
There are two main populations of Dalmatian pelican. One breeds in Eastern Europe, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean region, and the other breeds in central Asia and Russia, wintering in the Indian subcontinent, Iran and Iraq.
More pelican facts for the weekend.
The beak of the Australian pelican is the largest of all birds. It’s so large and spacious, that it can hold from 9 to 13 liters of water.
When catching fish, they take huge amounts of water into the pouch. Then they move the head forward, pour out the water and swallow the fish. They eat up to 4 kg fish per day.
Haha! The pelicans are back. Well, they never fully disappeared , I just got side-tracked by funny capybaras.
This is the American White Pelican. He is able to hold in its bill 11 liters of water.
My sisters stuffed animal – Dumbo the elephant, as she called him. She never spent a night without him for 30 years, since she got him at the age of 2-3. His actual colours are more faded now and he got new eyes at least once or twice since then. I felt like I needed to capture him at least once. He is still going strong though, despite everything he went through.
Anyone else had a little friend that accompanied you throughout the years?
Still looking for a special present, either to treat yourself or someone else? Then look no further!
I finally managed to put up a shop with a couple of illustrations at Society 6 and Red Bubble. They have a great variety of products that you can get these lovely illustrations printed on.
Let me know what you think. Is there anything else you would like to see in it?
How about a little pelican to brighten up your day?
The good thing about dogs is, that they force you to go out in every weather. Unless you have a dog that hates the rain and you are the one that has to force your dog to leave the house.
Here the temperatures are way below freezing, but we will head out for a walk nevertheless. Even without a dog. Have a nice weekend everyone.
Kobbi the pug decided to head to the pool to chill out with his favourite yellow duck. He loves hanging out in the water. Can someone get him a drink?
As the title says. This little pug is going nowhere with strong winds and below freezing temperatures out there.
I really love this little guy (although I am not a fan of pugs at all). I love dogs, the bigger the better! What about you?
But I drew him last winter for an upcoming project I have been working on with a friend. Stay tuned!
Another snapshot. Just opposite of Munal (Museo Nacional de Arte) in Mexico City.
I´m trying to be less lazy and put more details into the drawings. I don´t like drawing buildings or urban sketching I realised. So I consider this a good exercise to get back into it and work on perspectives and on my patience.
The days are getting shorter and more stormy here, so it is nice to revisit Mexico by drawing it. Another page filled in my travel sketchbook.
In front of the Museo Nacional de Artes in Mexcio City after visiting the Caravaggio exhibition. The museum is housed in a neoclassical building and the building itself is quite stunning. Who has been there?
In front of the museum is a large equestrian statue by Manuel Tolsá of Charles IV of Spain, who was the monarch just before Mexico gained its independence.
Continuing with my Mexico travel sketch book…
Saw these two patiently waiting in front of a bar on a night out in Roma in Mexico City. What better car theft protection than that?
I went to a Caravaggio exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Artes in Mexico City back in spring 2018.
I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed (maybe also my fault as I did not look at the information properly), but they only had one painting by Caravaggio. The rest of the exhibit was about him in form of a multimedia show and artworks by other artists that got inspired by him.
Nevertheless, I learned a lot about his style and especially his use of light and shadow. The museum in general was definitely worth a visit, as it is in a stunning building. Especially the permanent exhibition was great. That´s where I spotted the little horses from yesterday.
Below my impression of the only painting by Caravaggio at the exhibition.
I am not sure at which museum I saw these little horse by the Mexican sculptor Olivero Martínez. I think it was at the Museo Nacional de Arte in the center of Mexico City.
I thought they were absolutely beautiful. Each horse is made from a different material, ranging from marble to bronze and stone.
I fell in love with Mexico because of its contrasts and colours. Especially in Mexico City you encounter so many different people. These fancy dressed girls on Avenida Horacio in Polanco, looked ready to hit one of those upscale restaurants you can find here.
I just went to that barrio for lunch and a stroll. Most of the places are way out of my budget.
Time to take a small break from my pelicans.
I have been thinking a lot about Mexico lately. My last trip was in 2018! Time flies indeed! I realized that I never finished my Mexico album. So I decided to revisit it an keep filling the remaining 30+ pages.
Saw these guys standing at a street corner in Polanco, Mexico City, during my stay in spring 2018.
When you are thinking about your next dinner….
My favourite fish is salmon. What is yours?
Pelicans can eat 4 pounds of fish per day.
They will take large amount of water together with the fish they catch. But before swallowing the fish, they move their heads forward to remove excess water.
Although not being considered dangerous, pelicans are quite big and you wouldn´t want to mess with them!
The diet of pelicans usually consists of fish, but occasionally amphibians, turtles, crustaceans, insects, birds, and mammals are also eaten. The size of the preferred prey fish varies depending on pelican species and location. Apparently pelicans have even been observed eating smaller birds, sometimes scooping up water in order to drown them before swallowing.
An adult pelican may eat up to 1.8 kilograms of fish per day!
The brown pelican is a keen-eyed predator that can spot a fish swimming under the ocean’s surface even while flying almost 20 m above.
Its bigger cousin, the Peruvian pelican, also has great vision. Once a target has been spotted from above, the pelicans plunge into the sea bill-first at high speeds—and often from great height. When they collide with the prey, the impact force usually stuns the victim and it is then scooped up in the pouch.
Melanie Franz 