The vast expanse of the sky shimmered with the soft glow of dawn as the great white pelicans set their course northward. Their long, broad wings stretched wide, catching the spring thermals that carried them effortlessly over rivers, fields, and wetlands. With each beat of their powerful wings, they followed an ancient route, one that had guided their ancestors for generations.
As they soared over the Mississippi River, the waters below teemed with fish, a promise of the abundance that lay ahead.
Their destination was Emiquon, a vast floodplain in central Illinois, where nature had reclaimed the land and restored it to its former glory. Once a drained agricultural field, Emiquon had been revived into a wetland haven, rich with life and sustenance for the migrating flocks. It was a sanctuary, a place where they could rest, feed, and gather strength for the journeys still to come.
As they descended, the pelicans were met with the scent of fresh water and the symphony of life that thrived in the marshes. Swirling eddies of fish glimmered beneath the surface, while reeds swayed in the gentle breeze. Other birds—egrets, herons, and ducks—greeted their arrival, sharing in the wealth of the wetland.
They would spend weeks here, regaining their strength before continuing farther north to their breeding grounds in the upper Midwest and Canada.
For now, Emiquon was home—a place where the rhythm of migration paused, where the wild heart of the wetlands pulsed strong, and where the white pelicans found peace under the wide, open sky.
Image from March 20, 2019.
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