[TN-Bird] Shad die-off = gulls
- From: Rconnorsphoto@xxxxxxx
- To: TN-Bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 23:30:47 EST
Percy Priest Lake , Nashville
Today on an outing along the Volunteer Loop Trail, Long Hunter State Park
near Nashville, I noticed more gulls than usual on and over the lake.
In the winter Ring-billed Gulls normally roost on the lake by the
thosands. Over the years of Christmas counts we have observed and documented
the late afternoon/evening gathering of gulls, Ring-billed, Bonaparte's and a
few Herring, as they stream in from wherever- working the mall parking lots,
dumpsters, and landfills of the area. And they work the dam spillway, more so
when a turbine is running. But the daytime numbers on the lake are more
likely to be dozens rather than the two thosand plus that I could see today.
This was remarkable, but walking along the lake I started noticing minnows
washed up on shore, and as far as I walked there were more. Fingerling size
to 10", all Shad of some type. I made the connection and assumption that the
gulls were feeding on this "windfall". Fish along shore and floating in the
water. Although I watched several as they dove, I never actually saw gull eat
fish. One Herring, all others close enough to ID with binocs were Ring-billed
gulls.
Is this a natural event? Is it "winter kill" because of the recent cold
weather? Does it happen every year? I have heard that there is a semi-annual
inversion of the water in temperate-region lakes, but that is spring/ fall as
far as I know, and why should that kill fish?
Common Loons were also present on the lake, I didn't notice any for a
while because of all the boat traftic. At a calm period 25 were seen in one
pod- saftey in numbers...
Also seen on this outing was my first butterfly of the year ( it must
have been close to 70.F today) - a very pale Question Mark sunning itself in
the weeds.
Richard Connors
Nashville TN
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