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Tues Feb 5th Marin Salmon Populations Collapse. Click HERE
Jan 24thSpawner population crash - Biologists concerned about record-low coho counts in West Marin. Story in The West Marin Citizen. Click HERE
Tues Jan 29th Officials warn of salmon collapse, ABC7 Story. Click HERE
January 6th, 2008
Candace Hale, SPAWN Naturalist
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Hallelujah, the Great Storm is over -- and the woods were alive with eager visitors hoping to see fish. Some of us did.
Though I watched from the the lowest pool at the Inkwells, I was too impatient to catch any jumps . People up on the bridge assured me they had seen fish coming up -- no one knew if they were steelhead or salmon.
I took a quick look up from Leo Kronin to the last redd before the big dip, but saw no fish. The water was still very murky and turbid, so I hope it was filled with silver steelhead who simply evaded my sight.
Then I went to Devils Gulch to track down a report of four spawning pair of coho. I found only one female and one male coho. Both were just upstream of the huge eucalyptus tree that grows right on the bank to the right as you walk upstream.
The male looked like the wrath of god, with an unbelievably fungus-tattered tail and lower body. It seemed miraculous that he was still alive, with his body frayed into lace tatters. He also looked -- well, tired. When we saw him, he was in a deep pool, downstream of the female, just holding. Unlike many of the fish we've seen this season, he was very red.
The female was one riffle upstream, busily flapping away, building her redd in a very strong current. I am sure she knows more about what she's doing than I do -- but I did not see any gravel, and it seemed like a tough spot to build a redd. She definitely gets the James Brown award for hardest-working-fish-on-the-creek for the Devils Gulch run.
I am hoping that the male looked so exhausted because he had already released milt with a downstream female and was gathering his strength for another round -- though I don't know if icoho need recovery time in between milt release. In any case, I do hope he was able to muster his strength and make it up to the female. These fish have had to wait to so long for a good rain, it seems only fair that they should be able to complete their mission before they are claimed by fungus.
I am sure some, if not all, of the 18 steelhead that had been holding down in the pool at Tocoloma have now come upstream and are busily spawning -- but I was not lucky enough to see one. These fish tend to come upstream when the water is like a boiling of coffee grounds -- thick and brown and turbid. And-- unlike the coho and chinook -- they go back to sea after they spawn. So we often don't get to observe their spawning behavior. Still, it makes me glad to think of them there in that wild water, doing what they have been waiting to do.
January 5th, 2008
Paola Bouley, SPAWN Watershed Biologist
Just over 7-inches of rain fell in the Watershed over the past three days. Creeks almost burst their banks in many places (rain let up just in time) and are running muddy and strong even today. We expect to see salmon jumping the Inkwells later today and tomorrow as flows subside a little. Hopefully these rains will draw up more coho, but they certainly are drawing in the steelhead who have been observed holding in pools along Lagunitas Creek since last week. The steelhead runs have just begun and should peak around February. Because steelhead don't defend their redds (nests) and die like coho do, but just spawn and return to sea, they are a little more challenging to see... but well worth the effort!
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Dec 23, 2007
Paola Bouley, SPAWN Watershed Biologist
Click HERE to watch a pair of salmon spawning. (note: viewing is MUCH better in real life, web video resolution is pretty poor).
Volunteers and biologists have been busily surveying creeks
over the past week. Salmon made it as far up as Woodacre. Last Friday while surveying Woodacre Crk I came across a green heron nosily peering into a pool at a gigantic male coho as far up as where Woodacre Crk meets Carson Rd. It is always surprising to find such large fish in small creeks under such low flow conditions, but it is a reminder as to how important the small tributaries that run right through our backyards can be for both the adult and young salmon.
On the Naturalist-led Creekwalks we have seen salmon, kingfishers, herons and megansers, and a myriad other wildlife. Female salmon have been much more obvious than the males lately, and I have been left wondering where all the males are. Could it be the otters are out and around feeding on the salmon again? We'll soon find out when the survey numbers are in. We have to remember to count our blessings, otters are doing well on Lagunitas Creek and, as top predators, that is a good sign and something to be celebrated.
Dec 23, 2007
Paola Bouley, SPAWN Watershed Biologist
Viewing is spectacular right now! The 5-inches of rainfall finally drew a few dozen coho through the Inkwells and fish are spawning throughout the San Geronimo Valley and all throughout Lagunitas Creek.
Dec 14, 2007
Paola Bouley, SPAWN Watershed Biologist
Waiting on the rain...
Roughly 60 salmon have been seen so far in Lagunitas Creek, and a few even made it through the Inkwells falls and into San Geronimo Creek during the last storm (when we got ~1-inch of rainfall).
We have been observing these few dozen salmon daily as they build nests, spawn, and also there are those simply waiting in deep pools for more rain to draw them into their higher spawning grounds. This week's coming rain is much needed, and if it is abundant will surely spark another few weeks of spawning for the coho!
It is delightful to wander the watershed and creeks at this time of year. The willows, maple and ash are simply exploding in golden color as they prepare for deep winter. I was blessed to catch a glimpse of a spotted owl family this morning, one I had not seen for over a year. And also watched the cedar waxwings flight from a nearby ridge into the thick fog which had come in from the Bay overnight.
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Dec 7, 2007
Megan Isadore, SPAWN Naturalist
A Lot of Otters
Sometimes when I'm out on the creeks, excited because I know I will see the salmon I cannot help thinking of as "mine," not in a proprietary sense, but as one who has spent uncounted hours working in this watershed and hoping and trying, as we all do, to help them along, something entirely unexpected happens.
Wednesday morning I trotted along to Leo Cronin viewing area, knowing already there would be at least some salmon nesting up along the stretch toward the dam. For one thing, Al and Mel had been out there on Tuesday afternoon and seen several pairs between the bridge and the dam, as well as on the North Creek Trail in Samuel P. Taylor Park. I also had a pretty good idea I would see Al there. Al Pisciotta is our resident fish-whisperer, and you naturalists will meet him if you spend enough time on the creek. I swear he knows every fish in the watershed by sight, if not by name.
As I walked up the trail toward the dam I saw several areas where females had begun digging, but had not finished their redds, nor were they working on them. It was odd, but coho will occasionally start a redd, then move on for reasons of their own. The dug-out areas will be clear to you as you walk up the creek.....paler cobble surrounded by darker cobble, but no fish on it or nearby. Usually there aren't many of them in the entire watershed, and I saw three of them immediately........unusual.
Then I saw Al ahead on the trail, accompanied by a young woman and a little boy, maybe three years old. All of them were mesmerized by something.....as I got closer, I saw movement in the water. At first it was just large and fast, and then I saw furry faces periscope up......one, and two! River otters, peering back at us as we peered at them! Al said there were at least 4 if not 5-7 in that stretch of the creek, and so we watched. Usually when we see otters, it is a glimpse, a whisper, a tease.......then they shyly disperse. Not this hunting crew of four!
Watching them course the stretch of creek was one of those events we wait for for years. They knew we were there, but they were intent on their own activities, which consisted of everything EXCEPT moving slowly, even as they swarmed onto a log for a quick mutual groom. They leapt, they jumped, they coursed and zoomed and scurried across the gravel bars, they did flips and belly rolls, they spy-hopped to see where we were, they darted and scampered, they scent-marked spots in the gravel and on the banks. In all, they exhibited great discipline of the hunt.....they did not miss a single salmon hiding place in their patrol of the creek. Their busy noses found every hole and checked behind every rock and log. We worried for the females, the first of the year to build their redds! Their faithful males attended, and one brave little jack! Al had already seen them eat two male salmon......could the brave couple just upstream of the otters' log lair be long for this world? We cheered the otters, and we worried for the lovely salmon. This is what we've been talking about in action, the elegant return of ocean nutrients to the inland watershed........but it's difficult to watch when we know how endangered the coho are, and are pretty sure the females haven't finished depositing their eggs.
By the time I got there and we followed the otters for a couple of hours, up and down that small stretch of creek, it was clear they weren't especially hungry. We saw them finishing up some scraps of salmon, and on occasion delving into the silt for.......fry? crayfish? insects? at any rate, they came up munching. They have the most beautiful shiny white canine teeth, just like dogs or raccoons. They act a lot like raccoons, in that they don't like to be separated from their pod, and their satisfaction with a full belly is just like every one of us critters.... A couple of times, we saw one come racing up from behind the others, crying with a plaintive, high and somewhat metallic bird-like cry, which the others returned. There was another call we heard from them, low and gutteral, almost like a grunt you'd expect to hear from a sea lion. That seemed to happen more when they were close to their lair in the logjam than when they were racing up and down the creekbed. They chattered back and forth....clearly very social and communicative animals. Also very territorial; there was plenty of scent-marking going on along the banks and especially on one gravel bar near a big logjam.
So, there you have it.......in 8 years of walking the watershed for hundreds of hours every winter, I've never had such otter viewing. I feel lucky......I hope you all get to see them too. They haven't been spotted again in the last couple days. Today when I checked, all David, Al and I could find were three lone female coho. Imagine our delight when the first new male came charging up the creek from under the bridge and wasted no time in choosing his first female.
And just in from Al: some coho have made it as far as Castro Pool, which means some have jumped through the Inkwells. We looked, but so no action there this morning. It'll be worth it to check there with your tours tomorrow.
Nov 30, 2007
Megan Isadore, SPAWN Naturalist
There are six coho swimming around the bike/hike bridge pool, just downstream of the bridge. Five are three year olds and one is a jack. At least two are males (big kypes), and we believe there is a third male besides the jack, though are not sure about that one. It's just awfully big to be a female, but doesn't have much of a kype. The two definite males are also pretty red, while the possible male has little to no red yet.
We also saw a carcass I guessed to be a female coho, just under Irving Bridge, but we weren't able to see it closely enough to make a definite ID. This is the year's first carcass. Even now her body is feeding the stream and the riparian vegetation, and we hope her eggs are safely buried in the gravel in the redd just upstream.
Nov 25, 2007
Megan Isadore, SPAWN Naturalist
Thanksgiving weekend is among my favorite times to lead tours. Everyone cooks too much, eats too much, and spends perhaps just the tiniest bit too much time indoors....what better thing to clear out the mind and quicken the blood than walking the creeks and watching the drama of spawning salmon?
Of course, one might expect that there will be salmon, which there really aren't just now. Well, there are three.......so I hear! I haven't seen them yet, though others have, and I have spoken to those who have. It is officially a somewhat late beginning to the salmon season. Does that deter me or my curious tour guests? No it does not! There is the seeking, the searching, the peering, which are the stock in trade of any real nature observer worth her salt. While we may not see salmon, we see their redds (nests), and know that the big areas of disturbed gravel in the creek bed hold the eggs that will hatch in 4 or 5 weeks time! We learn how to identify salmon redds, how to listen for the flapping of the females tails as they use them to dig holes in the gravel. We learn where and when to show up to see the more thrilling salmon moments. We wait quietly, hanging over bridge railings, hoping for a sight of the elusive female coho with her white tail, whom others have seen finning through the pool. We ponder and discuss why she may have left her redd upstream, when usually females remain on their redds, guarding them from other females who might dig in the same spot, thereby digging up precious eggs.
We identify trees, and talk about how salmon help them grow and how they in turn help salmon grow. We discuss the intricate and elegant co-dependence of salmon, streams, riparian (streamside) vegetation, geology, tides, prevailing winds, ocean warming, economics of fishing, education of children in Pakistan, oil dependence in southern Mexico. Our talks veer from topic to topic, because there is really very little that is unconnected, once you start looking into the mysterious and compelling lives of the Lagunitas salmon.
We look for all the birds of the watershed and talk about their migratory habits, we look at mushrooms and molds, and speculate about them. We take out our trusty bird, tree, and mushroom guides, we look at everything with a magnifying glass, and we remark on how beautiful life is here in the Marin fall, and we are thankful to live and work and visit such a place.
As soon as it rains a bit more, the creek will be full of fish. My tours will concentrate on the excitement of the fish, and something a little special about the early season tours will be gone until later in the season, when the fish are nearly finished, and once again the energy level lowers and the talk meanders.....much like a natural creek as it wanders slowly through an uninhabited valley, taking its leisurely time to connect and reconnect with everything in its path.
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Come on out and visit.....
Megan
Sun Nov 18, 2007
Paola Bouley, SPAWN biologist
Big news is that today we saw fish in Bike Hike Pools. Yes! They are likely steelhead holding over from last year (according to Eric, MMWD's aquatic ecologist). Two larger-sized fish and 1-3 smaller fish that looked like 2 year-olds could be seen swimming back and forth in the deeper, middle part of the channel as you look downstream over the bridge. Polarized glass (even cheapies from Long's) are very useful to reduce glare off the water and get a good look at these fish.
The other exciting news is that while we were exploring woody debris structures (the equivalent of coral reefs for the coho stream ecosystem)in Lagunitas Creek from the bank in the Redwood grove across from the Irving Campground parking area, an American Dipper (our local aquatic songbird) thrilled us all by by landing in the water in the middle of a riffle, then perching on a stem protruding from woody debris in the creek and proceeding to do its characteristic dipping motion. Check out this link to learn more about the Dipper, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_Dipper.html. Note the song of this bird, which you are most likely to hear, even in torrential downpours, before you see the bird.
Also, check up on the sound of our local kingfisher, a bird you are very likely to encounter on your trips and which everyone on your tour enjoys seeing or hearing. Often these birds fly by so fast that you are more likely to hear there rapid, loud rattling call before you see them. If you learn to hear them coming you are more likely to see them as they wiz by with complete precision through the riparian canopy. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Belted_Kingfisher.html#sound
Sat. October 20, 2007
salmon vigil- by Todd Steiner.
Whenever we can, many of us have been sneaking off to see if any salmon are smelling their way upstream yet. With nearly 4" of rain (measured in forest knolls) to date, this is not a complete pipe dream; even some small tributaries that have been dry for months are already starting to run
A good place to spot "early" salmon is at S.P. Taylor State Park at the "Swimming Hole Bridge," at the west end of the Park. It's a deep pool where we will see salmon congregate in between storm events waiting for another downpour to continue their upstream migration.
Well today, we were privileged to see four otters enjoying the Swimming Hole. For more than ten minutes, we watched the young otters swim and climb up through the big log jam that formed there in the New Year's Eve 2005 storm and remains there still today. It has become a complex habitat supporting invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. On sunny days, you can see basking native western pond turtles (and non-native red-eared sliders) and both coho and steelhead juveniles and maybe fresh from the sea adults.
It was likely the otters were there for the same reason we were: to see if any salmon had arrived following last week's rain storms. They were having a great time maneuvering through the woody debris looking, -but we didn't see any coho or steelhead either.
Also stalking from the floating logs was a little green heron intent on catching last year's hatchlings. The juvenile salmon that have survive for nearly a year in the creeks now are about to face their ultimate test--the winter storms we are all waiting for.
Oct 10 , 2007
By Paola Bouley, SPAWN Biologist
Last night we got ~1.6 inches of rainfall. Headed down to the green bridge over Lagunitas Creek in Point Reyes Station where we often see salmon early on in the season as they congregate and wait for "freshets," or pulses of freshwater from the rains, to help ease their passage upstream. No salmon seen yet! But saw 4 river otters lazily swimming along, foraging, no doubt also eagerly awaiting the salmons' return.
This past week Todd found a dying steelhead in the Inkwells on San Geronimo Creek. A few steelhead adults have been holding over in the creeks since last winter and no doubt some die as they run out of energy reserves.