Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/10/16

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Subject: [Leica] IMG story: Kokanee Slamon
From: afirkin at afirkin.com (Alastair Firkin)
Date: Thu Oct 16 17:25:14 2008

Nice story and series, but this one stands out for me:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/fish/salmon/L1110261.jpg

Alastair



El 14/10/2008, a las 7:27, wildlightphoto@earthlink.net escribi?:

> 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
>
>
>
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