It's Spawning Time
· Posted Saturday November 4, 2006 by jamie
It’s fall, and that means time for the salmon to spawn. After dropping Melissa off for class at Evergreen this morning, I took a quick trip out to a great little nature trail at Kennedy Creek to see some Coho Chum (oops) spawning, and let me tell you, it was frickin’ awesome.
Kennedy Creek, in Mason County, flows into Totten Inlet just east of Olympia. The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group has put together an interpretive trail near the mouth of the creek so that the public can view the fish spawning during the month of November. Large portions of the trail, including some excellent viewpoints for seeing the fish, are even ADA accessible.
This morning, the Coho Chum were literally wall to wall in the river: fighting the current, performing courting rituals, and showing various forms of mating aggresssion. Even in the rain, without polarized sunglasses (which are nice for reducing glare), there was a lot to see. It really is a neat part of nature, and I highly recommend getting out to see it.
To get to Kennedy Creek, travel south on I-5. In Olympia, take Highway 101 west towards Shelton. Turn left on Old Olympic Highway between milepost 358 and 357. Travel approximately 3/4 of a mile, and turn left on a gravel road with signs for wildlife viewing and “Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail”. The trail is approximately 1/2 mile up the gravel road.
(“Autumn Ritual” image courtesy of Seattle artist Kim Drew. Used by permission. Prints of this and other wonderful pictures can be purchased via his website, as well as from his gallery.)
More details on the trail from SPSSEG.
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categories: beyond-tacoma environment
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Spawning time also means Bald Eagle time. I saw a pair of them making a meal of the salmon in the Cedar River this week. They’ve made an incredible come back, even in the more populated areas.
— Kristy Nov 5, 08:18 AM #