December 15, 2009
The main stem of the Hammond froze on Dec 7, and has remained frozen since. We had a minor ice break-up last week, showing more than an inch of crystal-clear ice, and then it was quickly re-frozen in clumps. There's still many open areas in spots where there are heavy current flows, making good areas to spot the few remaining migrant waterfowl in the system. Water levels remain at about the 2 meter mark. And the deer tracks in the snow are showing how many deer we really have locally, with many tracks from large deer that are probably more nocturnal than the does and fawns we frequently see in daytime hours.
December 3, 2009
Water levels have been relatively stable, hovering around the 2 meter mark, but today’s heavy rains are bringing the levels up, as well as bringing back the all-too-familiar heavy sediment runs. The extremely high rainfall levels we’ve been seeing have increased the problems with erosion and sedimentation on the system, pointing to some project work we will need to target for next summer’s field work season.
The past few months have recorded high levels, which should be excellent news for our salmon population. One of the largest limiting factors for the Hammond’s salmon population is the low water conditions that restrict available habitat throughout the dry summer months. Not this year, though! Here, thanks to erstwhile volunteer Randy Giffin, are the rain gauge reports from the system Randy has collected throughout the summer:
May 90 mm
June 143 mm
July 150 mm
August 250 mm
September 25 mm
October 300 mm
Randy describes the rainfall amount as encouraging for the system, assuring great water levels for fall salmon spawning and winter survival. Thanks for the information and insight Randy!
The warm weather is enticing many migrants to stay in the area, with large flocks of geese still commonly seen in local fields. We’re starting to see more of the migrants moving through though, with large flocks of common goldeneye ducks (whistlers) being spotted in the larger river channels. The deer are also fully in rutting season, with many bucks showing themselves throughout the area, often to the distress of local drivers.
November 24, 2009
This week saw more efforts at redd counting, with volunteers walking some of the major tributaries of the upper Hammond watershed. Redds were counted, but also, some significant erosion problems were identified. We'll be attempting to find funding to work with local landowners to help deal with some of the erosion noticed. The past two years have been particularly tough on areas with potential erosion issues, with the major rain events we're seeing on a frequent basis.
November 18, 2009
Last week saw a valiant effort for three staff members to do a redd count, an important method to assess the breeding of adult salmon in the system. Sean, Shawn and Bryan kayaked a significant portion of the river in the Hillsdale area. While conditions were difficult, they were able to count more than 40 redds in the area they viewed. (Redds are the shallow depressions in the gravel in shallows scooped by female salmon for deposition of eggs to be fertilized and then buried in the gravel. This is one of the major reasons that ATV drivers need to keep their vehicles out of river shallows, as they can damage salmon`s spawning efforts.
We`ve had some unusual visitors near the centre lately, with a pair of Hooded Mergansers seen repeatedly in the lower section of Palmer Brook. They`re beautiful birds, with the male having distinct plumage. The recent cold nights (and skims of ice in the shallows) seem to have encouraged them to move on their migration path.
Today`s water levels are running at just around 2 meters, and seem to be holding fairly consistently outside of the major rains events we`re seeing periodically.
November 4, 2009
Water levels are running at a consistent 2 m at the centre , finally dropping from the massive rainfall that dropped 116 mm locally. The water increased, and then dropped so rapidly that we do not have an accurate measurement of its peak! The water had actually dropped considerably before anyone was able to take a measurement.
Our salmon have moved into the headwaters, so if you're interested in observing wildlife, it may be a good time to spot salmon in spawning mode. Let us know if you see any fish, please!
The dismantling of the Bailey Bridge at Taber Bridge pool was progressing rapidly, and sections of the steel being un-bolted while the main structure was balanced on rollers on the streambank.
Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, DFO staff and HRAA staff who made two significant efforts to count our adult salmon population on Oct. 23 and 29. High water and turbidity prevented the swimmers from successfully counting fish on Oct. 23. A later effort, on Oct. 29 indicated that the salmon had taken advantage of the high water conditions and cooler temperatures to move into the headwater spawning areas, and were not clustered in the traditional holding pools. Swimmers surveyed a large portion of the headwaters, and were able to count 13 salmon, mostly large mature salmon. And, we were also able to count 29 salmon redds, indicating that preparations for spawning was well underway. The fish were dispersed throughout the system, as we would expect with the water levels, and redds were in well-known spawning areas in the headwaters. We'll make another effort to count redds as conditions permit. Many thanks to the efforts of DFO staff including Ross Jones, Leroy Anderson and Yvette Cyr as well as Bryan Morse (HRAA’s intern sponsored by the YMCA program) who braved the cold temperatures to count our fish. And, thanks to the volunteers, notably Roland D'Abadie, Greg McConnachie and Geoff Giffin for their help!
October 23, 2009
Water levels rose slightly with the overnight rain, but our rain gauge late Friday afternoon was reading 1.8 m, with slightly turbid waters in front of the centre. Several fish have been spotted upriver by observers this week, but bad timing of a rainstorm last night prevented a successful salmon count on Friday. Our salmon should be in the system now, with the females beginning to construct redds for spawning. This is a particularly important time for ATVs and other vehicles to stay out of the gravely runs where salmon like to spawn. On this system, we expect most of the spawning activity to take place between now and early November. Remember to let us know if you’re seeing fish. And, if you see any signs of poaching activity, please call (800) 222-8477.
More changes are underway at Taber Bridge Pool: the old Bailey Bridge is being taken down, with the decking already gone, and the structure on blocks for removal. If you’re in the area, we’d like your digital photos to track the progress. We’re concerned about some of the construction debris in the river (metal plates and butt-ends of pressure treated posts). And, unfortunately, some of the remaining rock wall is crumbling and has slid down to the riverbank.
