What a thrilling, perplexing, and joyous day it has been! Looking
down on Lagunitas Creek while taking my dog Bodie on his normal morning
walk on the Cross Marin Trail on my way to the SPAWN office, I see what
is clearly a patch of light-colored gravel. A salmon redd??!?! It's November 18, the timing is right, but no rains have arrived. But wait, there she is, a huge female salmon moving in to take position over a compact, deep redd!
The coho are spawning! OR ARE THEY?
To learn more, join a naturalist-led Creekwalk.
For info and to register, click here.
I contacted another biologist in the watershed leading up to the
November 9-10 SPAWN Creekwalk Naturalist Training, and he had a
confirmed sighting of a pair of Chinook, or king, salmon on a compact
redd in the lower reach of Lagunitas Creek. Amazing! King salmon as a
species are struggling - they are the most imperiled of all Pacific
salmonids. They are known to spawn in Lagunitas Creek, but evidence is
usually limited to seeing one or more of their compact, deep redds in
the lower reached during the weeks before the arrival of our coho. This
biologist sent me photo of these kings to compare with what I had seen
overlooking the creek.
Armed with binoculars, the recent photos, and my identification guides, I returned to the overlook on
the old Tocaloma Bridge and gazed down on the redd. One, then two, then
three salmon! The female is recognizable by the white, dead skin on her
tail. The male, dead skin along his dorsal ridge. The other, small was
likely a jack, and sure acted like one! The smaller jack darted in from
behind, tangled in with the female on the redd, and was quickly chased
off by the big male.
All of these fish were darker than coho, lacked the red color typically
seen on coho when they transform to freshwater spawners, and lacked the
white gums characteristic of coho. It can be tough to identify these
species being so far away as to not disturb them.
All hail the Kings! The Chinook salmon have returned to spawn in
Lagunitas Creek, and the coho are not far behind. This redd, and the
female guarding it, have been visible the last three days. She is
looking tired and likes to fade into the shadows of the undercut bank
and drift to rest on a log under the bridge.
Rains have arrived, and I am heading out to hunt for any spawning coho
viewable for our first Creekwalk of the season, this Saturday! To learn
more about joining a naturalist-led Creekwalk and to register,
click here.
See you along the creek!
