This week’s topic at the Handbook of Nature Study’s Outdoor Hour Challenge is the contrast of Trout and Salmon.
Last month during our hunting trip we stopped by to see the North Fork Schooner Creek Fish Passage Weir.
“The weirs were constructed in 1996 by the U.S. Forest Service, Siuslaw National Forest to serve as a fish ladder for migrating cho and Chinook salmon and cutthroat and steelhead trout. Prior to construction a bedrock chute blocked the upstream migration of fish. “ Words from Sign
Yesterday, the Oregon Coast Today posted a video of migrating Salmon – swimming up D River , the southern tip of our lake – on Facebook.
This got the boys excited to go and see – so this morning we loaded up to look.
What had happened – is that the high storms had blocked off the river with sand – the salmon got stacked up in the ocean waiting to travel east. When the bull dozers came to open the river – the salmon came up stream en mas. 🙂 Oregon Coast Today got great Videos! Or, rather, Paul Robertson, Devils Lake Watershed, might have been the photographer. We need to get on his field trip phone call list!
We were too late. If there were salmon in the river, they were few and far between, and in the shadows, fins under water. You can see where the sand had to be moved- usually the sand is flat here. 🙂
Nate found a salmon egg and a trout egg. At least that’s what he told me . . . .What do you think? Wilson? Is that you baby Wilson?
Jon took these photos of the bird preening. White Egrets and Gulls.
We weren’t the only onlookers hoping to see swimming fishies. 🙂
We had a great time at the D River State Park – but now we were hankering for Salmon and Trout to contrast –so we headed back up to the Salmon River Fish Hatchery. Last year we did an extensive field trip tour of the fish hatchery – posted about it <<here>>.
My camera was a bit out of battery so the photos are a bit color wonky.
The contrasts were a bit difficult. Other than color, size and weight. Besides Steelhead Trout, most trout are fresh water for their life. Salmon migrate to salt water – except for Kokanee – which are landlocked salmon – like those in Central Oregon – which has never tasted Salt Water. We read that the coho Salmon could get up to 45 pounds. That raised the boys’ eyebrows. The salmon were in a cool fish ladder station, while the Rainbow Trout were in a tub. . . . .OK. Just a few grand daddy trout get to swim in the tub for tourists’ gazes. On observation – without in depth study – these were the contrasts they found.
So – we didn’t get to see the salmon in the D River today – but we did have another fun adventure – and another focused discussion – thanks to the assignment from the Handbook of Nature Study – Join Us? Really A fun Homeschooling Day!
+Angie Wright
