Stranded Darter

The Barred Fantail Darter has joined Creek Chub and Black-nosed Dace on the list of fish species found at Blue Jay Barrens.  I saw a darter in the creek about 20 years ago, but didn’t have a camera or net with me at the time, so I couldn’t identify it.  This brings my list total up to three species.  Not too bad for a creek that spends so much time without water.

I found the darter in these last dregs of a drying pool.  I associate darters with clear, moving water.  The pool bore no resemblance to my mental image of proper darter habitat.

At first sight, I thought the fish was dead.  The color seemed off and I couldn’t detect any motion at all.  Then I noticed that the silt had been swept from the rock by movement of the pectoral fins.  Maybe it was alive.

A closer examination revealed that the head was actually out of the water.  Once again I decided it was dead, so I scooped it up for a closer look.  When it made a feeble flop against my hand, I reassigned it to the living column.

I’ve always been fascinated by darters.  Their lack of a swim bladder causes them to move by making short hops across the stream bottom.  I didn’t feel right about letting this little guy perish in a muddy pool, so I created a bowl out of a folded leaf, added water and transported the fish to the section of the creek that is the last to go dry.  A spring emerges a short way up the channel and the water disappears below ground just below this pool, but this portion is clean, cool and slowly moving.

If the fish survived the move, it should thrive here for a while.  I normally take greater care to acclimate fish to their new environment, but the fish had no chance of surviving where it was, so I gave my best effort towards an impromptu rescue.  I’ll probably never know the final outcome.  If it dies, I’m sure it’ll get eaten in short order.  If it survives, it will probably remain so well hidden that I’ll never see it.  Anyway, it was fun to find another fish species that utilizes the Blue Jay Barrens creeks.

Little Fish

The drought has reduced the creek flow to a tiny trickle, but every pool and shallow riffle is full of little fish. 

Pools are small and in some areas the riffles have gone completely dry.  At a glance there is no apparent life in the pools.  A closer examination reveals an abundance of creatures, but all are young and tiny.

The overall color of the fish closely matches that of the creek bottom.  If it weren’t for their shadows, it would be hard to notice the fish.  Once you begin to follow those shadows, it becomes obvious that the pool is full of fish.

The fish cruise constantly and investigate the slightest movement in the water.  When the fish prosper, other organisms suffer.  Even these small fry are effective predators.  No insect larvae can be found anywhere on the creek bottom.  Streamside Salamander larvae, which should be abundant at this time of year, are completely absent.  Small fish begin by eating the gills of the salamander larva and then proceed to pick the body clean.

These fish are too small to identify without actually collecting a sample.  Creek Chubs and Blacknose Daces are the only species that I’ve found spawning in the creek so far.  They move upstream early in the spring when the water is high,  spawn in a gravelly location and then move back downstream as the creek flow begins to subside.  From earlier experience, I’m guessing these to be Blacknose Daces.

Water Strider nymphs compete with the fish for floating food items.  Both are alert for anything that strikes the surface.  The current drought is causing these pools to shrink in size every day.  Unlike many of the other creek dwellers, fish must have a constant supply of open water.  They don’t have the ability to live beneath a wet rock to await the return of their pool.  If we don’t get back into a rainy pattern, most of these fish won’t survive.

Blacknose Dace

The presence of fish in the creek during this time of year means that the crop of Streamside Salamanders was probably zero this season. This has been an unusual season, though and I always enjoy watching the fish. The most common fish in the Blue Jay Barrens creek is the Blacknose Dace.

Food supplies grow short as the water supply begins to dwindle. The creek has been reduced to a series of pools and the riffle areas are no longer showing any above ground flow. When something hits the water, even if it’s obviously too big to eat, the fish are quick to check it out.

Any insects hitting the water are quickly consumed. A Deer Fly that was drilling a hole in my shoulder agreed to be the bait for this action shot. The fish was quicker than my camera.

Most of the pools are lacking suitable cover. A spooked fish will use anything available to protect itself from airborne dangers.

Although it’s a little late in the season, one pool contained several Blacknose Daces in breeding condition. This male is busily cleaning silt from a spot of gravel in order to make a suitable spawning area.

The future doesn’t look too bright for any eggs laid here now. In fact, the fish themselves may not survive. This section of creek normally goes dry in the summer and even though the season had a very wet start, it’s unlikely that water will last until we once again get into the rainy season. As the pools begin to shrink in size, the raccoons will move in and clean the fish out. In keeping with the spirit of the song, it’s the end of the world as they know it and they feel fine.