I drive across the Coralville Reservoir several times a week for work. I always thought the reservoir was just a large pool of water created by man for man’s recreational pleasures. My opinion was shortsighted. Several years ago, I spotted a large flock of white birds covering the lake west of Highway 965. This was my first experience at seeing tens of thousands of migrating American White Pelicans. I tried unsuccessfully to photograph these pelicans from the side of the reservoir. I spent many an evening watching them as they formed lines hundreds of birds wide and twenty deep, diving one row at a time, chasing and eating schools of small fish.

The next year, I asked a friend if he thought we could paddle a canoe out into the reservoir and get closer, maybe even into the flock of pelicans. Early one evening, we took off, working our way upriver. It was a successful adventure. I will never forget the sounds, the smells, and the thrill of being surrounded by thousands of pelicans. We were literally among the pelicans. This trip is repeated yearly; each time I am amazed at the numbers of pelicans that stop at the reservoir.

I now see the reservoir as a safe haven, a resting place, where the pelicans come to nourish themselves for the rest of their migration. When the pelicans leave, the surface of the reservoir becomes quiet, but I still stop to watch and remember.