{"id":37567,"date":"2016-02-19T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=37567"},"modified":"2016-02-19T06:34:47","modified_gmt":"2016-02-19T13:34:47","slug":"surprisingly-lesser-scaups-may-be-eating-invasive-weather-loaches-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/19\/surprisingly-lesser-scaups-may-be-eating-invasive-weather-loaches-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprisingly, Lesser Scaups May Be Eating Invasive Weather Loaches Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Margie Dunham pointed out in the first comment below I’ve misidentified this duck – it’s a Ring-necked Duck! I hate it when my\u00a0stupid mistakes\u00a0are on public display like this! Much of this post about the loach is still valid but obviously the part about diet specific to Lesser Scaups is not. However,\u00a0the diet of Ring-necked Ducks (moist-soil and aquatic plant seeds, tubers and aquatic invertebrates) also excludes free swimming prey like fish so I’m still surprised to see this duck\u00a0eating an apparent loach.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not enough coffee this morning I guess. Sorry…<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It seems that the invasive Weather Loach is becoming a\u00a0significant food source\u00a0for many of the birds in northern Utah. In\u00a0recent years I’ve photographed Common Goldeneyes, Snowy Egrets, Greater Yellowlegs, Pied-billed Grebes and Belted Kingfishers eating them and several other species (coots and gulls)\u00a0attempting\u00a0to steal them from other birds. Yesterday I may have added another species to the\u00a0growing list of loach-eaters.<\/p>\n

It is assumed that the source of Weather Loaches (also known as Dojo Loaches, there are several species)\u00a0in our waters is intentional release by aquarists when they no longer can\/will care for their fish.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"lesser<\/p>\n

1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

This lone male Lesser Scaup has been hanging around a local pond for about a week now. I often photograph him while I’m waiting for an opportunity with the Belted Kingfisher I’ve posted recently but he doesn’t give me a lot of variety in behavior or poses because all he seems to do is repeatedly\u00a0dive for food – all… day… long!<\/p>\n

The diet of Lesser Scaups consists primarily of aquatic invertebrates (though seeds and aquatic plants can play a significant role in their diet in unusual circumstances). My research indicates that scaups\u00a0rarely eat fish. The only examples I could find of fish-eating by scaups is opportunistic feeding\u00a0when the fish have already\u00a0been injured or killed.<\/p>\n

Lesser Scaups typically swallow their invertebrate prey underwater\u00a0so I could never see what this bird was eating. Until yesterday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"lesser<\/p>\n

1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

It appears to me that this scaup\u00a0was eating a Weather Loach. It’s remotely\u00a0possible that it’s a large leech but I believe I can see a dorsal fin so I don’t\u00a0think so. Though scaups\u00a0usually swallow\u00a0their food\u00a0underwater they’re known to occasionally\u00a0handle slightly larger prey on the surface.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"lesser<\/p>\n

1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0probable loach\u00a0went down quickly so this is the only other shot I was able to get of it.<\/p>\n

Over the last few years I’ve become increasingly concerned by the obviously very high concentrations of loaches in our streams and ponds along the Wasatch Front. Yes, they’re providing a food source for many birds but at what\u00a0cost? The environmental impact of invasive species is usually dire and typically very little is done about them until it’s too late.<\/p>\n

When I first reported the presence of loaches\u00a0at Farmington Bay WMA to the\u00a0DNR fisheries folks several years ago they were unaware of their presence there, though they did know they were found in the Jordan\u00a0River\u00a0and possibly elsewhere. But they seemed relatively unconcerned about it and\u00a0as far as I know (yes, I’ve searched) there’s been no significant investigative\u00a0studies or research regarding their potential environmental impact. When I started photographing birds nine years ago most of the small fish I saw birds eating were young\u00a0carp. Now they seem to be overwhelmingly loaches. Loaches are small\u00a0bottom feeders so they usually escape our radar unless\u00a0we pay attention to what a bird is eating (or actually do some species-focused\u00a0field research…)<\/p>\n

I hope this doesn’t turn out to be yet another example of too little, too late.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

PS – For anyone interested in seeing additional examples of local birds I’ve photographed\u00a0eating loaches simply type “weather loach” into the search box at the upper right hand corner of this page.<\/em><\/p>\n

An unrelated note: I continue to get queries from readers\u00a0asking if it’s ok to post links to my blog on social media and elsewhere (I think the warning I have printed in red on the right side of my blog has made ethical folks a little nervous about doing so). I have no problem with posting actual links to my blog – in fact I encourage it.<\/em><\/p>\n

My issue is with folks who\u00a0lift (copy) my\u00a0images\u00a0and then post them.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems that the invasive Weather Loach is becoming a significant food source for many of the birds in northern Utah.<\/p>\n

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