Well in spirit. Check out who is featuring our Heron footage two days after it was filmed? While you’re there visit their inspiring website and consider any entries you might have for the amazing nest photo contest. Everything we can do to link Beavers and Birds in people’s minds is hugely important. Thanks SO much for the help!
Heron Update
From Skip Lisle:
Great video! It’s amazing all the wildlife that uses that little habitat. Of course, any wetland is incredibly valuable ecologically, but this high-use also hints at how terribly rare similar habitats are in the greater landscape. All of these species evolved in a veritable beaver-created Garden of Eden. They “miss” these habitats; it is little wonder that when one does occur, no matter how small, it is very popular. Do California’s wildlife managers understand what a greater tolerance for beavers would mean in terms of species and ecosystem restoration? Cheers,
Skip
From Robert Leida, WTR-8 EPA
Thanks for sharing the wonderful video! Well, it is difficult to tell
for sure. The fish is very silvery and torpedo shaped so my first
thought is a small Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis). I
didn’t notice an adipose fin (the video is blurry), but it is possible
that the fish is a steelhead smolt as they lose their parr marks when
they migrate out and steelhead would be expected to be moving downstream
to the bay at this time of year. The size fit’s a smolt as well. Are
you sure that the heron caught the fish in this pool and didn’t fly in
from somewhere else where it caught the fish?!
Rob
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Robert A. Leidy, Ph.D.
Wetlands Regulatory Office (WTR-8)
From Pete Alexander of EBRPD
Thanks for sending the video!
I’ve looked at the video with a couple of biologists here at EBRPD.We concur that what happened to the Black Crown Night Heron was this.The heron regurgitated a 4-6 inch fish that was dead or near dead. It appears that the heron had no intention of losing the fish as it tried to grab it after it regurgitated it. Perhaps the heron already had a crop full of fish or the fish in some way was irritating the heron. But the fish appears to be dead and had no signs of life or of escaping at that point. We couldn’t determine what the species of the fish was. It was long and narrow, similar to Sacramento suckers, Sacramento Pikeminnows or possibly salmonids that are found in Alhambra Creek. Hope this helps!
Pete J. Alexander EBRPD
