I hung out with some salmon biologists the other day and learned that juv
salmonids in streams have different activity patterns at different times of
day. Some of it relates to the angle of the light as it strikes the bottom,
making their insect lunch easier to locate, the highest activities levels
involved food search which peaks when the sun is at particular angles to a
stream reach. This also relates stream topography and riparian vegetation.
Since both mergansers and salmon find their prey by sight it could be that
mergansers are moving to steam reaches in response to salmon feeding levels
which in turn relate to where the light is better at that time of day.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
HYPERLINK
"http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm"http://www.nonprofitpages.com/ni
ca/SVE.htm
><((((?>`?..?`?..?`?...><((((?>...?`?..?`?...><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>.?`
?..?`?...><((((?>?.. ><((((?>
?`?..?`?...?..?`><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>.?`?..?`?...><((((?>..?`?..?`?..
.><((((?>?.. ?`?..?`?....?`?..?`?...><((((?>






--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.14/222 - Release Date: 1/5/2006