Category Archives: fish

It’s time you went

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Alistair

  Imagine the problem faced by osprey parents when it comes time to boot the chicks from the nest. Winter is coming; chicks must learn to fend for themselves; soon they must migrate thousands of kilometres on their own. Time … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 9 Comments

Kokanee spawning

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Alistair

  One of the grand events of the year is the late-summer spawning of the Kokanee. These landlocked sockeye salmon are native to the myriad lakes of western North America. They are plentiful in Kootenay Lake, particularly around the eponymous … Continue reading →

Posted in fish | 6 Comments

Otter’s breakfast

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Alistair

  No sooner had I commented that I had yet to see an otter this year, than one could be seen swimming towards a nearby dock. What an obliging fellow. It even brought a fish for its breakfast. “Hmm, good.” … Continue reading →

Posted in fish, mammals | 2 Comments

Dipper’s rainbow

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Alistair

  I often see dippers in local creeks and along the lakeshore—for me, the dipper has almost become a yard bird. Yet, in all the time I have watched dippers as they incessantly dived for comestibles, I have only occasionally seen … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 5 Comments

Kokanee keep coming

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Alistair

  The Kootenay Lake naturalist’s year is marked by many events: irruptive finches in the winter, migrating swans in the spring, the return of humming birds and ospreys, the freshet, pollinating insects, the arrival of black bears in the valleys … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 6 Comments

Kokanee spawning

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Alistair

  They are at it again: the Kokanee are spawning. Depending on the creek, from mid-August until late September the water becomes either spotted or awash with red as these land-locked sockeye salmon move upstream. I hope to get more views as the … Continue reading →

Posted in fish | 3 Comments

Osprey, fish, crow

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Alistair

  An osprey cannot eat a fish when it is flying; the bird must first land. Even if it is taking the fish back to its chicks in a nest, the osprey will often stop off for a snack first. … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 2 Comments

Hitchhiking fish

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Alistair

  Fish: Oh, oh…, the view is sooo lovely from up here. Thank you for showing it to me. Now, if you will kindly just drop me off in the Lake. Right down there will do just fine. No, no, … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 2 Comments

Dying trout

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Alistair

  The first thing that caught my eye was a fin sticking above the water. The fish seemed to be circling erratically in the shallows—a behaviour I had never before witnessed. Joe Thorley of Poisson Consulting looked at this picture and said that … Continue reading →

Posted in fish | 3 Comments

Otter munches

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Alistair

Yesterday, I watched a northern river otter munch on a large-scaled sucker. The Kootenay Lake website offers more pictures of local River Otters I had failed to spot this delight on my own. Standing beside me, Derek Kite wondered about … Continue reading →

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