Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/10/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thank you George, Tina, Jayanand, and Stasys for your comments. These photos were made yesterday. There are a few more photos I'd like to add to this story, and an E67 Circular Polarizing filter for the 180 is on my shopping list. Among the photos I'd like to add to the story are additional predators such as Black Bear, and, believe it or not, Mallard ducks. The Mallards were looking for salmon eggs, and when they found a suspected redd they'd pump their feet rapidly to stirr the silt, gravel and eggs so they could eat the eggs. Another hazard was the machine-gunning gear-talking Canonographer who boasted of wading into the stream on the previous day (disrupting & trampling redds, and filling the water with silt) in order to get photos of the Black Bear eating salmon. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com Original Message: ----------------- From: Lottermoser George imagist3@mac.com Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:46:34 -0500 To: lug@leica-users.org Subject: Re: [Leica] IMG story: Kokanee Slamon Wonderful example of the power of words with photographs when both contain knowledge, beauty and experience can't imagine that a few more words would not make this essay a very desirable publisher's dream Fond regards, George george@imagist.com http://www.imagist.com http://www.imagist.com/blog http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist On Oct 14, 2008, at 12:27 AM, 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 _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web.com ? What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you? http://link.mail2web.com/Business/SharePoint