Pelican in St. Marrten

We went on a cruise trip to the south Caribbean by the end of January 2008. During the trip, we had a chance to walk around in the French capitol of St. Maarten, Marigot. While I was wandering around the pier area, I heard a big splash from the water. When I turned around, there was a big pelican. Taking a picture of a pelican on the water did not interest me that much. All right, the pelican wanted my attention, so I gave it my attention by pointing it with my camera. All of a sudden, the pelican took off.

I think I am extremely lucky to catch that take-off moment of the pelican. Also, the vibration reduction (VR) capability of the Nikkor 70-300mm lens made a big difference in shooting this wonderful flying pelican.