When conditions are right, after good rains, inland lakes and rivers fill up. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, thousands of birds flock into the inland to breed and feed. In 1992 there were exceptionally good rains. Water covered Lake Eyre, for only the third time in 200 years. The pelicans flocked in.
Pelicans are big birds.
They can weigh up to 9 kg, and have a wingspan of up to two metres. It seems incredible that so many found food in central Australia. But it was possible. With the rains, the environment had boomed. Microscopic plants grew in the warm lake water.