The photo above shows salmon fingerlings and their shadows in the sand at the outflow of
Potter's Marsh. There were many hundres of them a week ago when I visited the marsh.
A pan sized fish. I'm not sure whether it's a trout, Dolly Varden, (trout relative) or a small salmon. Fishing is prohibited at this wildlife refuge.
These larger fish in murky water are Humpback Salmon. There were many of them in the main channels in the marsh.
They were the most abundant species present. The ratios of salmon species vary throughout the season.
The big boys in the marsh are King, (Chinook) Salmon.
They are silver in color when they first enter fresh water from the ocean. As the days pass, they turn more red in coloration.
The big males can be truly massive. We did not see any really big kings while we were there.
This Muskrat did not demonstrate any concern about the salmon. The salmon paid it no attention.
I'll throw in a few dowitcher photos to this post.
They will all be gone south far too soon.
2 comments:
Is the bottom shot Short-billed Dowitcher ? - bill looks shortish, but I've never seen SBD
It is difficult to tell the difference between Short-billed, and Long-billed Dowitchers. The length of their bill is not a good field mark to rely upon.
Long=billed Dowitchers prefer inland fresh water while Short-bills like coastal brackish or salt water.
I am lazy and don't rely upon subtle markings. If it's near the coast, I call it a Short-billed and if it's inland, I call it a Long-billed.
Around Anchorage, Short-bills outnumber Long-bills by hundreds to one. These photos are Short-billed Dowitchers.
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