Freezing a pelican take off

I took this photo a few years ago. I was for the first time in the Danube Delta and I was amazed by the flora and especially the fauna of this beautiful place. I came at the end of the summer hoping to see the pelicans migration but to my surprise they left just a day before my arrival. I was sailing in a motor boat with my guide when suddenly he yelled:
"Look, a pelican...he probably missed the departure, he overslept, haha"
The Big bird was silently floating looking at us from a distance disturbed by the guide`s laughter. I kept trying to take a photo but the boat moved and my lens could not focus on the pelican. I wasnt even on the continuous shooting mode or fast action mode but I had a fast shutter speed set up. Suddenly the bird decided it was time to catch up with its friends and he took off allowing me to capture its beautiful flight dynamic. It was the middle of the day with the sun giving me no chance to see anything on the lcd display of the camera until I had arrived at the cabin. I was lucky. It was the only shot caught in focus.

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