With a 9-foot wingspan, the American White Pelican is one of the largest and most impressive birds in North America. They winter primarily in Mexico, California and the Gulf Coast, but many migrate into the Canadian prairies to breed in the spring and summer. I photographed these birds on a lake in the Cypress Hills of Alberta, where surrounding coniferous trees cast a dark, shadowy reflection onto the water, resulting in a unique black-background effect on camera.