Posted by Hali Sowle on September 24, 2011 at 9:09 PM
I saw this little guy wrestling with that eel and was wondering if anyone knew what the bird was. This was taken in Seal Harbor, ME (near Bar Harbor) this past week. Thanks in advance
Posted by Richard Ditch on September 24, 2011 at 9:27 PM
Black Guillemot.
Posted by Hali Sowle on September 24, 2011 at 9:33 PM
Thank you Richard!
Posted by Jim DeWitt on September 24, 2011 at 10:44 PM
And a nice behavioral capture, too.
Posted by Peter Cross on September 24, 2011 at 10:52 PM
A rare event as well. My understanding is that eels breed in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic but spend most of their time in fresh water. Sort of the opposite of salmon. Eels are quite often seen and caught in fresh water but I think it's kind of unusual for them to be caught in salt water as they usually are just passing through. Now this is based on what I learned a while back, so what is now known about them may have shed a different perspective on their habits.
Peter
Posted by David Graham on September 25, 2011 at 6:59 AM
Great shot, Hali !
Looks like a "yellow eel" (a stage in the growth of the common/American eel) that, having passively migrated from the Sargasso via the Gulf Stream as an elver, has entered brackish/fresh water to complete it's growth to the adult stage.
Peter is spot on. This species operates catadromously, opposite to the pattern of salmon (anadromous) which grow to adulthood in the open ocean and only return to their natal fresh water stream to deposit their eggs and die.
Discussion
5 repliesPeter
Looks like a "yellow eel" (a stage in the growth of the common/American eel) that, having passively migrated from the Sargasso via the Gulf Stream as an elver, has entered brackish/fresh water to complete it's growth to the adult stage.
Peter is spot on. This species operates catadromously, opposite to the pattern of salmon (anadromous) which grow to adulthood in the open ocean and only return to their natal fresh water stream to deposit their eggs and die.
Dave Graham, East River, SD