Freshwater snorkeling for wildlife
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A great way to stay cool on a hot summer day is to soak in a spring-fed stream. Add a face mask, a snorkel and an old pair of sneakers and you can observe aquatic life on its own terms -- underwater.
Snorkeling opens a whole new world to the curious naturalist, and anyone can do it. The only rule is to make safety your primary concern. Never snorkel alone. Stay in shallow water. And explore under large rocks or submerged logs.
Before getting wet, walk a length of stream and notice it consists of two parts: slow moving pools and rapidly flowing riffles.
Pools may be as small as a dish pan or as large as a swimming pool. Sometimes they cut under the stream bank or into the roots of giant sycamore trees. Avoid these areas unless you're an experienced snorkeler and a strong swimmer.
When I find an inviting pool, knee to waist deep, I float face down and watch. Within minutes, minnows approach. Often they seem curious. In a few minutes more, a bluegill approaches and the adventure begins.
Slowly I crawl and swim toward another sunfish. It waves its fins to turn and face me. If I get too close, a powerful twitch of its tail propels it out of sight.
I drop a few wriggling earthworms to the bottom of a pool, and a feeding frenzy ensues. By observing foraging behavior, anglers can learn the kinds of prey movements that attract the attention of hungry fish.
Bigger fish seek refuge under lips of large rocks, in tangles of roots and under floating logs. Any of these spots may hold an impressive bass or trout. For safety's sake, resist the urge to dive into these deeper spots. Watch from the edge.
These dark nooks and crannies provide excellent cover where larger predatory fish await passing prey -- insects, smaller fish, frogs and snakes. On this day I'm patient and lucky. A largemouth bass (really a member of the sunfish family) shoots out of the shadows and swallows a scavenging crayfish, one of its favorite foods.
Next week, we'll explore the shallow, rapidly flowing riffles. This is the noisy, "gurgling" part of the stream where the darters live.
First Published August 1, 2010 12:00 am
