~ Herring depend heavily upon native, intact eelgrass beds in which to deposit their spawn. The Northwest , particularly areas of the Puget Sound have lost vast forests of the eelgrass beds due to coastal development and disturbance, siltation, etc. The herring eggs/ roe are an essential food source to many birds including wintering scoters, and the young and adult herring are a major food source for alcids, mergs, cormorants, etc. - and fish species such as salmon , etc. Loss of these eelgrass beds and their canopy habitat has led to a great loss in food source and shelter for many species. Not just birds--but salmon, groundfish, crab, shrimp, etc. that find shelter there from larger predators.

~ Those common mergansers you see on the rivers are predating the young salmonids fry, heavily... These birds know a good buffet when they see it, and will return to the riffles and pools where the fish accumulate and can be caught easily. They know a good food source , and will return there religiously. I do not know of any current banding studies on Common mergansers in the PNW.

Capt. Dave Drewry



----- Original Message -----
From: J & B Adamowski LaComa
To: tweeters
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 8:27 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] local herring populations and bird behavior


Local Herring (baitfish) populations are at an all time low and the fish stocks are in real trouble. The birds that migrate here from the North that just do not seem to be showing up could be avoiding the area due to a lack of winter food supply. I believe there is a virus that has been running amuck and killing the native baitfish. There have been recent hatchery plantings of Herring but I am not sure what the net effect has been

Also just a question of Merganser habits. For years I have floated many rivers during all seasons. I am usually on the river at or near first light and off the water at or near o-dark-thirty. For as long as I remember I have watched Mergansers fly downstream in the morning and then pass me in the evening heading back upstream. Why is this? There is no difference in Summer/Fall/Winter or Spring either other than daylight. I never see them roost on land but usually just after the sun rises they get antsy and then the flock divides into smaller groups and takes off...only to return again that night for a slumber party. Do they have established hunting grounds and become territorial during the day and then forget this behavior at night for the safety in numbers gig? Do they just like to tour the river valleys and simply fly around just to tease me because I can't fly? I do not see them hunt the river either. They always fly to the same area and then fish that stretch only for the entire day. I do not know if the same birds are returning to the same spots each day as they are identical in plumage and there is no way to tell unless they were banded. Has anybody ever studied this or have any insights into this behavior?

Bryan
Shoreline, Wa.
jennandbryan at msn.com




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