There are two Tribune photos attached to the back of the photo; The first, dated October 24, 1983, reads "As this jowly flotilla of pelicans shows, an unhurried swim in Lake Merritt is as good a way to pass the waning moments of an autumn day. Sunday was the first day [?] of fall, and there's something about a backlit flock of floating waterfowl that beats a calendar for saying summer's gone and winter's on the way." The second caption, dated July 17, 1985, reads "A flotilla of pelicans floats along the surface of Lake Merritt, where many rest on small islands." The skyline of downtown Oakland is silhouetted behind the pelicans, with the Alameda County Courthouse at left center.