Date: 12/1/25 11:15 pm From: Alan Roedell via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Action. Common Mergansers eating Kokanee salmon
Wow! Great photos and videos!
On Mon, Dec 1, 2025, 10:40 PM Eric Ellingson via Tweeters <
<tweeters...> wrote:
> Tis the season for the Kokanee to be spawning up small streams from lakes
> just like their relatives, Sockeye salmon. Kokanee and sockeye salmon are
> the same species, but kokanee never make the journey to the ocean. They
> spend their entire lives in lakes, migrating to tributary streams to spawn
> in the fall. What does this have to do with birds? The Kokanee get eaten by
> Common Mergansers, Bald Eagles, Gulls, and their eggs get eaten by
> Bufflehead and American Dippers. As the Kokanee concentrate in shallow
> waters they can easily become prey to many others.
>
> Like other birds that catch & eat fish, the fish needs to go down the
> throat head first. So the real action begins after a merganser catches one
> & brings it to the surface. Gulls & other mergansers will chase it trying
> to steal the food out of their mouth. So if they grab it by the tail, they
> have to maneuver it around to get it in its mouth going head first before
> it is stolen or dropped. I've seen both happen.
>
> Here are a few shots of them in my online album:
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericellingson/ >
> FYI: These birds are VERY skittish. The slightest disturbance and
> especially one's presence sends them rapidly flying off. It can take 30-60
> minutes for them to return IF they feel the coast is clear. I hope you
> enjoy these. Many hours were spent sitting low on the ground out of sight
> waiting for them to return, then a couple hours to catch the action. More
> later. Cheers
>
> Eric Ellingson
>
> 360-820-6396
> <esellingson...>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> <Tweeters...>
> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters >
