World TravelerIf you're a bird, there are several ways to catch fish. You can snatch them off the surface as bald eagles do, you can dabble for them, or dive straight into the water.
White pelicans, those gorgeous soaring birds of our inland lakes, are dabblers. They usually travel in pods of 10 to 20, watching their favorite fishing holes for the opportunity to gobble up a meal in a hurry. What's that old rhyme? "The pelican is a remarkable bird, its bill can hold more than its belly can."
If you go to Crane Prairie Reservoir, Summer Lake, and the Klamath lakes before summer is out, you can watch white pelicans in action. They find a school of fish feeding near the surface and slowly surround them, herding them into shallow water where they are more or less trapped.
One of the pelicans gives the signal and suddenly they rear back their huge bills and begin jabbing at the water with gaping mouths. The enormous sack beneath their long bill fills with fish and water, and as they raise their heads, they expel the water and swallow the fish. This cooperative effort works slicker than frog hair, and in a few moments the pelicans bills are no longer holding what their belly can.
