Very nice narrative and beautiful "illustrations" Doug. Makes me wish I was a Common Merganser when I see the fish. Is fishing allowed BTW? Thanks for posting these marvellous wildlife photos. Bien amicalement de MEtz Philippe wildlightphoto@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
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 ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www.lrflex.furnfeather.net/ Archives are at: //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/
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