Subject: [Tweeters] Common Mergansers feeding frenzy
Date: Apr 8 14:26:39 2010
From: birdmandea at aol.com - birdmandea at aol.com




Greetings,
The salmon released in to the Chambers Creek drainage last week are crossing over from fresh to saltwater this week. A large flock of Common Mergansers have repositioned themselves below the dam to intercept them as they leave the fish ladder. As the yearling salmon exit the chute they face a gauntlet of scores of sharp merganser bills. During the peak for the feeding I estimate as many as ten salmon per minute were eaten by the mergansers. The merganser's fishing technique is amazing not only in their skill but the violence once a bird surfaces with a fish. Here is a link to a set I made on Flickr showing a few close ups of the mergansers in action.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25348030 at N07/sets/72157623682275437/

Other notes of the week at the dam...The Osprey pair are back on the nearby nest on the train bridge. During the past week I could see seven eagles at one time as well as the Osprey pair. I saw a Tern do a flyby at the dam yesterday. A pair of Ravens are flying over the dam with nesting materials into the woods to the East of the dam. Three Harbor Seals have patrolling the foot of the dam at high tide. The activity is dying down now that the fish are moving on. Today I saw the nesting Eagle pair and four inmature eagles on the freshwater side of the dam. I will post those pictures later

Take care, have fun!
Dea Just.