I have never cared too much about celebrities or thought of myself as a passionate bird lover. So who knew I would be so excited to meet and hang out with my new favorite star—Morro the brown pelican, Since I moved to the coast, one of my favorite things is to head out in my kayak into the pelicans’ habitat and "lunchroom” as they fly over and feast within yards of me. Morro is featured in the film Pelican Dreams, and his story is fascinating.

Morro suffered a debilitating wing injury in 2009 and was taken in by Willow Tree Wildlife, an amazing wildlife rescue organization lovingly run by people who planned and hoped to rehabilitate Morro and release him back into his ocean world. Morro has a wing disability resulting from an injury and can no longer fly. He now lives in a magical place with a variety of animal friends and seems to be quite happy.

Bill shared with us that when it’s migration season, it shows in his behavior: he perches high on a pole and flaps his wings as if he knows it’s time for his summer vacation and seems happiest with his new life as long as he has fun playmates. We witnessed Morro with his goose girlfriend Lucy; he appears to be quite into her in his quirky male pelican way, and they were pretty sweet to watch. Morro has quite an interesting role in the world now; he is now living his life as an educator and has touched thousands of people. He has starred in a film that has been shown in numerous schools and state parks and helps bring to life the hazards that pelicans face in the wild.

So grateful to spend quality time with a pelican and to get to know Dani and Bill Nicholson. They are not only amazing beings; they care enough about the world to dedicate their lives to lovingly rehabilitating wildlife and addressing issues that impact our environment.