Tag Archives: fish

Failing to Catch a Leaping Salmon

As the locks at Ballard transfer the water, they manage to catch a lot of salmon at the same time.  It was very common while we were there to see the salmon leap out of the water.  Some would leap out and crash back into the water on their sides while others would leap upright and nose back in to the water like a dolphin.  Catching this on the camera was a touch trickier.  I have a lot of shots of splashes as the salmon has just reentered the water.  I did get some on video though so you know I am not totally making this up!

The Fish Ladder

Hiram M Chittenden was not only the man in charge of creating the Ballard Locks, he also was ahead of his time in understanding some of the ecological impact of what he was doing.  The importance of the fish to the region and the disruption that the salmon would experience led him to the creation of a fish ladder.  There is still one there now although it appears to be of slightly more modern construction.

There are ramps alongside parts of the ladder so you can look down and see the fish as they work their way up the steps.  You can also look down and see a lot of them swimming around in the approach to the ladder itself.  Meanwhile, there is a viewing gallery that has windows into the side of part of the ladder where you can watch the fish either resting in the quieter flows or forcing their way up to the next level.  There were signs telling us which types of fish there might be but I have to admit they all looked alike to me.

Flying Fish – You Knew It Had to Happen

How long was it going to be before a post about being in Seattle included fish flying through the air at Pike Place Market?  You knew it had to come at some point so here we go.  The weekend we were there, the place was pretty packed.  Tons of people were there so getting into a good spot was not particularly easy.  Moreover, you don’t know when they are going to start throwing something.  It depends on when someone orders something.

It is actually pretty dark inside the market so getting a good shot is trickier than I expected.  The fish fly fast so you want a higher shutter speed.  The ISO gets ramped up and you have to try and track the flight while in amongst the crowd with limited ability to move.  Hardly the best situation but, if you want a shot, it is what you need to do.  Of course, the bigger problem is that, just when you give up and wander away, they start calling out another order and you have to try and get back into a good spot quickly.  That is the toughest challenge!

No Need to be Koi

AE7I8884.jpgDuring our walk around the Chicago Botanic Gardens, we walked across a couple of the bridges over the lakes.  The lakes are home to a variety of wildlife including plenty of koi carp.  I guess they are pretty smart fish as the appearance of a few people seems to attract them rapidly.  I guess they get fed enough times to learn.  So much for fish having short memories.

AE7I8879.jpgThese guys showed up in force.  They came up from the depths so, for a while they weren’t apparent but then suddenly their form would solidify.  They would drift around making it look like it was a coincidence but soon they were right underneath us.  Obviously this was no coincidence at all.

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Monterey Aquarium Again

wpid9591-C59F3885.jpgNot so long ago, I posted about a trip I made with my nephew to the aquarium in Monterey. More recently, my Mum came to stay so we took her there for a day out too. It was a lovely day and we wandered around cannery Row a bit before heading in to the aquarium itself. I don’t have much new to say about the place other than it is very cool. Instead, I shall just let you see some of what we saw.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

wpid8817-C59F4976.jpgMy nephew was interested in a visit to the aquarium at Monterey while they were staying so he and I decided to head down there for a day.  I last went over ten years ago so did not remember a great deal about it.  I also didn’t know whether a lot had changed in that time anyway so not remembering was not a major problem!

wpid8797-C59F4791.jpgFirst things first.  This place is great.  We spent plenty of time there and could probably have spent more but we were thinking about some food before heading home.  The collection is very interesting and really nicely laid out.  Not only does it cover the wildlife of the Monterey Bay well, it also has some very nice terraces outside so you can go and see some of the real thing while you are there.

wpid8789-C59F4702.jpgThere are two huge tanks cover deep water and the kelp beds of the bay.  These can be viewed from upper and lower levels and there is so much going on, it is easy to just stand and stare for long periods of time.

wpid8811-C59F4911.jpgThere is a great jellyfish exhibit.  Nancy and I saw a similar exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium a while back as I reported here but this is a permanent feature and it is well worth a visit.  There are other attractions that get a lot of visitors including the octopus exhibit.  While we were there, this fella was very active.  He (or she, I can’t tell which) would retreat into a dark corner for a while and then suddenly make a trip across the tank covering the glass with tentacles as he went.  This was amazing to watch.  Why he did it so often I don’t know.  Maybe they do something to prod him into action every once in a while.  (It was also quite fun to hear people berating those people using flash on their cameras which seemed to be happening every couple of minutes.  Signs are hard to read I guess.)

wpid8787-C59F4687.jpgWe spent some time outside watching the wildlife.  We had brought binoculars but there were some healthy telescopes available to use to.  Sam quickly spotted the spray from a grey whale out in the bay and there were plenty of sea lions and sea otters to see although usually a bit far out.  The bird life was teeming closer in.

I will be back before too long.  I suspect any other visitors will want to check it out too but I can handle repeat visits I think.

Underwater Shooting

Something I have never done before is snorkeling.  Having grown up by the sea, I am not sure why this would be but perhaps it is down to the lack of reefs with plenty to see.  Snorkeling is very popular on Kauai and I figured I should really try it out.  I grabbed a mask and snorkel at a store in Hanalei and headed out to the reef at Tunnels.  Having never used a snorkel in anger, I was a little unsure of how I would get on.  After a bit of practice breathing while having my face underwater, I started drifting around the reef.

At first there was nothing special to see but suddenly I found myself surrounded by tropical fish.  They were everywhere and seemed not terribly perplexed by my presence.  It was like being in a documentary except it was right in front of me.  Time went by very quickly without me realizing it.

I decided to take along the GoPro with me while I was swimming about.  With so much activity in front of you, it is something that you really want to be able to share.  The GoPro is a great little device but it is not the perfect solution for underwater filming.  Basically, filming underwater is not straightforward and requires good planning and the right equipment.  The light is flat and the colors muted.  I was chatting with a a pro underwater photographer and we compared notes about what we need for our respective areas.

Having said all of that, I did get some footage so here you go with a sample of what I saw.

Some Fishy Video

As you might have noticed, there is a bit of theme developing with some of the stuff I post.  Photos are the main focus of what I do but I am also dabbling more with the video side of things.  There are some things that video can show that stills do not represent as well.  Since the 1D MkIV arrived in my hands with the ability to shoot HD video, I have been surprised how many times I have taken some video along with the stills.

Anyway, all of that is a roundabout way of saying that I have got some video from the Shedd Aquarium here in Chicago that goes along with the previous posts on the swimmy things.  It is shot through glass (of course) in the public areas so I know that the reflections are sometimes there but even so,  I hope you like it.

More Fish

After the jellyfish and the Belugas, it was time to walk around the rest of the aquarium.  They have a number of exhibits that we always like to check out including the large tank in the main hall in which they carry out feedings with a diver talking to the assembled people.  I got snap happy taking shots of the various creatures as they whizzed about in their tanks.

Again, shooting through thick tank walls and cranking up the ISO does not always make for the greatest images but you get a feel for what they have.  Not a huge amount to say so i hope you enjoy some of these shots.