Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/10/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Doug- a great fish /bird story. Nice images also. How long did it take to cover this reportage? Stasys On Oct 13, 2008, at 10:27 PM, wildlightphoto@earthlink.net 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 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >