This Great Blue Heron was fishing in Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC. I saw it take several small fish, likely Coho fry that began popping out of the gravel a week or two ago. In this video you see it take something larger, perhaps a Coho smolt (yearling) or a small trout.
Here are some stills, too:
I saw this Great Blue Heron overlooking the sediment pond in the Byrne Creek spawning habitat in SE Burnaby, BC. I wanted to check the pond for fry, and when I got closer the heron took off, and circled across the road.
Yay, we have Coho salmon fry in Byrne Creek! Yumi spotted fry the other day, and today we took a look and saw dozens in the vicinity of the footbridge in the lower ravine.
Hard to get a good shot, but you can make out the pale orange caudal fin and the black/white stripes on the anal fin on the fish in the foreground.
Wonderful to see after the creek was hammered by the massive flows from the atmospheric rivers, and many releases of silt from construction sites.
A group of Byrne Creek Streamkeepers volunteers toured the creek this morning. We focused on the upper third to see where the water comes from, and the bottom third, to see the dykes and the outfall into the Fraser River.
We were fortunate to be treated to many birds ‘n beasts along the way!
This Red-tailed Hawk came soaring in over the dyke
It perched in a tree for a minute or two . . .
and then it took off
We spotted this raccoon near the mouth of the creek
It swam away across the creek
We saw three Great Blue Herons over the course of the tour. This one was just upstream of Edmonds Skytrain Station
This one was in the pond near the Byrne Creek outfall
And this Great Blue Heron was perched on a light standard along the dyke
A Double-crested Cormorant in the pond near the outfall of Byrne Creek
Hooded Merganser near the mouth of Byrne Creek
Ring-necked Duck
House Finch near the top end of the creek
I heard a Belted Kingfisher on my Byrne Creek walk today, and tracked it down in the spawning habitat. It was shy, but eventually I got a few shots. Also a Great Blue Heron in nearly the exact same spot that I’ve seen it for days, and a couple of Steller’s Jays.
Belted Kingfisher
Great Blue Heron
Here we go again.
Byrne Creek in SE #Burnaby is running like chocolate milk. This has been happening over and over the last few weeks. This is not rain runoff, some site in the upper watershed is being pumped out into a street drain, which is illegal.
Called it in to City of Burnaby dispatch.
We, well, Yumi, processed two very mushy Coho salmon spawners that we found in the overflow pond in the artificial spawning habitat on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, today.
Though they were well into decomposition, we “processed” them anyway, and did not find any eggs in the female, or milt in the male, so they likely spawned. Yay!
Streamkeepers have permission and training to assess spawned salmon. We ID them, measure them, sex them, and then cut the carcasses in half and return them to the creek where their nutrients will help foster new life.
The spawning season is winding down on the creek. It was a strange season, with spawners showing up late, and Chum in much lower numbers than usual. But as the season progressed, we were happy to see more Coho showing up.
Today we also saw half a dozen live Coho, and lots of Cutthroat Trout.
This was the female, you can see her abraded tail fin with which she dug a redd, or nest, in gravel and cobble in which to deposit her eggs.
The male.
Took my daily walk in the rain on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, today. With this series of atmospheric rivers hitting the west coast, it was really ripping.
Sure hope the redds, or nests of eggs from spawning salmon don’t get blown out or smothered in silt!
I’m glad mainstream media ran a story like this, but to make it sound like something new is innacurate.
These ideas have been around for decades, and volunteer streamkeepers and wetlandkeepers have been pushing municiaplities for more infiltration for what seems like forever.
The best way to protect local creeks and urban and suburban watersheds is through the sponge concept of getting as much rainwater into the ground as possible instead of piping it away.
The ongoing waves of atmospheric rivers on the BC west coast are creating massive flows ripping through creeks.
There’s a lot of concern around the lower mainland that salmon redds, or nests of eggs, are being either ripped appart, or smothered in silt.