Wetland retreat
There’s plenty of evidence that this wetland was once filled with trees, such as the stand of decaying snags remaining, but there is new life emerging and wildlife making this quiet space their home – the nest of a prey bird is setup in a prime location to hunt fish to feed its young.
A little bit different from my norm M.O. this week. My wife and I went camping with a friend of ours near the very northern tip of VA - right along side a river. So of course I spent a little time each day under the blazing sun, trying to catch new fish species. And I found lots of cool stuff! Let’s hope you all enjoy too.
I dunno if it’s the elevation, water quality, or proximity to brackish areas (or something else entirely) but I rarely see Water Striders on any of my hunts. Maybe 1 to 3 in certain locations but that’s it. While the river here had none as expected, any stagnant pool just off of the main body had hundreds - by far the most numerous of the aquatic invertebrates. On the one hand I like seeing them skate around, on the other each time one moves along the surface I think it’s a fish. So, you know, pick your poison.
I did see a fair amount of Freshwater Mussels too. We get them around our neck of the woods and they could very well be the same species but really I have no idea.I like them all the same.
Lots of crayfish around here too! They really didn’t like being approached and would dart backwards as quickly as possible if they saw you getting close. Many bumped into rocks, fish, or even shot out of the water. Ah c’mon guys I don’t think I’m THAT repulsive... I caught a few just for photos and maybe a dozen others by mistake just by checking around rocky areas and weedy sections of the river.
First up on the fish list were these Riffle Daces (Rhinichthys spp) - the tell here from the other common genera is the long rounded nose. Not a super common fish as far as I could tell - I only saw a handful in this area. Folks on iNaturalist suggested they were Eastern Blacknose Daces (R. atratulus) which I suppose they very easily could be, based on range. I just have a hard time with these minnows that are nothing but a single black line.
I guessed Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) for these because, I can’t stress this enough, I do not know minnows that well, but got told they are Bluntnose Minnows (Pimephales notatus) which is exciting a) because it’s a whole new species for me, and b) they are relatives of the very well known Fathead/Rosy Red Minnow. In the water they look the same as the other various minnows, but I caught a few of them so I don’t think they were as uncommon as the Blacknose Daces.
Okay THIS guy was a Creek Chub. Probably the most common fish species on the Eastern edge of the US, Creek Chubs are pretty easy finds in most non-stagnant water sources - places where I would guess that Mosquitofish outcompete them. I’d wager most of the minnows I saw were actually this species.
The next one I found were a Satinfin Shiner (Cyprinella spp) I’m pretty sure - but most of my pictures of it were garbage and it escaped my grasp pretty quickly. Frustrating and also a little funny that all my best stills of it were from it wriggling out of my hand.
See you later, fish cowboy.
Another common insect in the area were these Ebony Jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata) - an incredibly awesome name for these incredibly beautiful animals. Gotta love them!
This probably was the coolest find of the trip though. Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are endangered and are especially rare in this part of their range. I woke up one morning to find this guy or gal in our campsite. They were blind in one eye and never saw me approach until I went around the front. Beautiful critter!
Captured on film but not caught were a bunch of sunfishes. I considered it might be a hybrid of some sort when I saw it, but had a chance to better review the photos at home. Large mouth, spot on dorsal fin, yellow edge on tail and anal fins, and coloration lead me to believe this guy is your everyday Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) though who can really rule out a hybrid with Lepomis? Probably was about 4 inches and super colorful.
Not captured on film and also not caught were White Suckers, Tesselated Darters, and some other darter species that had spots instead of blotches. I can’t for the life of me figure out what it might have been - maybe natural coloration for a Tesselated or Johnny or female Banded... who can say! Still was really cool to see them.
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