Featured Image - Fall 2000

American White Pelican 

For a number of years now, I have wanted a decent image of a large bird landing head-on in water. After many failed attempts, my luck changed a few weeks back. This pelican was one of a flock of several thousand migrating birds that stopped over at the lake at Great Salt Plains NWR in northeast Oklahoma. The flock was the largest one I have ever witnessed anywhere.

I arrived just after daylight and immediately noticed the pelicans. A steady stream of them would ascend from a lofty altitude in a circling fashion, landing near the dam. It was quite a sight watching the large birds cascading down, one after another gracefully touching down in the water.  I knew if I could position myself facing the wind close enough to the landing birds, my chances of getting a head-on landing shot was good.. 

I worked my way around the dam on back roads, photographing some other birds while the sun got higher in the sky.  I wanted to let the sun get high enough for the ample light needed for fast shutter speeds to freeze the motion of the landing birds' wings.  By 11:00 a.m., the light was right, and the birds were still landing. I set up and shot four rolls of flying and landing pelicans. It was a great day to be out among nature in Oklahoma.

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