Our local sculpin is a small (6-8 cm long) secretive fish that spends most of the daylight hours well camouflaged and motionless on the floor of the Lake, often within rocky hideouts. By such devices, it tries to avoid predatory fish such as the trout. For one sculpin at the Nelson waterfront, this approach was insufficient to avoid a grebe.
Yesterday afternoon, I watched a Horned Grebe diving for fish in the water alongside the playing fields. I concentrated on the moment the grebe surfaced hoping it would display the result of a successful hunt. The grebe dived and surfaced many times before surfacing with a Slimy Sculpin in its bill. The sculpin fought and even escaped, but the grebe caught it again and down the gullet it went. Bye-bye sculpin.
I learned two facts today, the bird in the image is a grebe not a grubb and there are such things as freshwater sculpins in Kootenay Lake. Each and every day is a learning experience.
Oh by the way, nice photo Mr. Fraser of Sylvanshine.
Kevin, the time may have come to add the lakeshore to that list of locations for your long walks.