[Tweeters] Action. Common Mergansers eating Kokanee salmon

[Alan Roedell via Tweeters]

Wow! Great photos and videos!

On Mon, Dec 1, 2025, 10:40 PM Eric Ellingson via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> 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 at gmail.com

>

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