Thursday, February 3, 2011

Don't bite the hand that feeds you

The fish cleaning tables here in the Sebastian Inlet park have troughs from the table to the water to flush fish scraps and blood. The birds congregate when they see one cleaning fish, the pelicans are the most aggressive. I was cleaning some fish yesterday and the pelicans gathered for a meal. They were on the trough sticking their heads into the cleaning table, they would swallow a whole 2 pound filleted bluefish in one swallow. You had to guard your filets or they would grab and swallow fast, I picked out a nice roe sack and presented it to one of the pelicans, expecting him to pluck it out of my fingers with the end of his bill, instead he grabbed my whole hand with his 15 inch jaws, quite a surprise, hurt but no damage, such bad manners.

The Sebastian Inlet is a prime fishing spot attracting folks from all over. The state has built long fishing jetties on both sides of the inlet out into the ocean, a bridge across the inlet primarily for flounder fishing and nice launching ramps for boats.


Plovers on the jetty rails awaiting scraps of bait


Some serious jetty fisherman and their fancy carts


Black drum and sheepshead


Crime scene


The one in front, sweet looking SOB that bit me

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