IMG story: Kokanee Slamon

Lake Tahoe's Kokanee Salmon live their entire lives in fresh water, hatching in 
tributary streams and maturing in the lake itself, returning to the streams to 
spawn.  This is a small salmon, about the size of a trout.  Lake Tahoe's Taylor 
Creek is one of the best places to witness the beginning and end of the 
salmon's life cycle:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110272.jpg

The salmon pair up in shallow gravelly areas, where the female excavates a redd 
(a place to lay the eggs) in the stream bottom by using the suction from the 
upward thrust of her tail to dislodge gravel and silt, where it is carried away 
by the current.  The male is brighter red; aside from fertilizing the eggs his 
role is to defend the female's redd from intruders:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110373.jpg
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110366.jpg

Among the dangers they face are the many Common Mergansers, attracted by the 
fish concentrations:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110265.jpg

The mergansers pursue the salmon under water and use their serrated bills to 
hold the salmon before swallowing it whole:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110292.jpg
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110261.jpg
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110262.jpg

However the pursuit isn't over just yet.  Other mergansers are interested in 
discussing rightful ownership of the meal.  Apparently the salmon have little 
say in the matter:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110343.jpg
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110334.jpg
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110335.jpg

The most successful mergansers are those who can swallow the salmon on the run.

Technical stuff: R8/DMR @ ISO 400, lens was either 180mm APO-Elmarit-R or 560mm 
f/6.8 Telyt

All comments welcome.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com



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