HERD ABOUT IT? 

by ana grarian

I think I saw one of these in Cascadilla Creek yesterday. I definitely saw some kind of eel, and sea lampreys are found here. From the top they are kind of interesting, but don’t go Googling them unless you are prepared for some really disturbing photos. They have a mouth right out of a horror film. Apparently the inlet to the lake has been designed to inhibit their entrance into the lake proper, and they are fished out to keep them from decimating the fish population.

A little bit further on I saw two good size fish struggling their way upstream to spawn. I enjoy watching them this time of year. They look like bullheads to me, but a fella who lives on the creek says they are suckers. Strange that the eels aren’t called suckers since that’s what they do – they suck the life out of fish they attach to. Perhaps the one I saw was following what it hoped would be dinner?

Last week I saw a very different species of duck in the creek. There are many pairs of Mallards in our creeks. The pair near Tioga St have 12 babies floating with Mama right now. This duck had a brown head with a large tuft of brown feathers sticking out in a point behind his head. It may have been some kind of Merganser, but I haven’t found an image that matches yet.

The interesting things you miss if you don’t have creeks and ponds to wonder.