What might this be? (Slightly bird related)

[Con Boekel <>]

Wonderful eels!

Eels are not naturally found in the Murray Darling Basin. There are two species of freshwater eels (long-finned and short-finned) in Australia. Adult eels leave freshwater and swim and ride currents to where they breed in the sea north of Australia. The larvae and then elvers travel on ocean currents down the east coast, eventually travelling up freshwater systems. They have demonstrated amazing abilities to travel across wet land and up steep water falls. The most likely reason they are not found in the MDB is that the relevant ocean currents do not travel far enough west for the elvers to ride them to reach the Murray mouth.

Every time I pass a sign telling me that I am crossing the Great Divide I think to myself, I am leaving (or entering) eel country.

Individual eels went the 'wrong' way as a result of the Snowy scheme and also through some thoughtless translocations.

Eels are able to 'breath' provided their gills remain moist and eels will create tunnels in clay substrates of dams and live in the dams. The clay ensures that the tunnels continue to remain moist and eels are thus able to sustain themselves into droughts.
Eels are remarkably tough survivors but they are becoming very scarce in Europe because elvers (!) are harvested. Some species of birds are highly eel-dependent and eels have been introduced into some water bodies to assist in their survival.

Conhttp://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9407124675/tiny-eels-are-best-bait-bitterns

regards

Con



On 23/02/2013 11:17 AM, Peter Ormay wrote:

I think someone put them there. People do stupid things sometimes.

 

Eel are not known from any ACT streams or dams however someone reading this may be tempted to bring some in to see if they’ll survive or some other reason.

 

From: charles davis [m("hotmail.com","charlieshadow");">]
Sent: Wednesday, 20 February 2013 9:17 PM
To: m("dodo.com.au","peterormay");">; Canberra Birds
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] What might this be? (Slightly bird related)

 

Just my point of view but WHY would there be crap in Callum Brae’s dams.  The dams there are small little things and the photo was taken in the smallest of them. Kellys is connected to the rivers but  the dams at Callum Brae are not at all. Eels however can cross land and gulp air if needed and create just the same shapes on the surface. If it was an eel it would also make all those bumps and bubbles by its self at the same time and disappear all at once as well.  

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From: m("dodo.com.au","peterormay");">
To: m("gmail.com","m.leggoe7141");">; m("internode.on.net","julian.robinson");">; m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");">
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:07:50 -0800
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] What might this be? (Slightly bird related)

Carp can tolerate low oxygen levels but when it gets very low they carp gulp water on the surface where the oxygen level is higher as the oxygen is absorbed by the water.

Peter

 

from: Margaret Leggoe [m("gmail.com","m.leggoe7141");">]
Sent: Monday, 18 February 2013 7:57 PM
To: 'Julian Robinson'; 'canberrabirds chatline'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] What might this be? (Slightly bird related)

 

When Kelly’s was becoming a tad slimy and the carp were gasping their last, large water bubbles remained on the surface for quite a few seconds before disappearing.

Margaret.

 

 

From: Julian Robinson [m("internode.on.net","julian.robinson");">]
Sent: Tuesday, 19 February 2013 12:05 PM
To: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: [canberrabirds] What might this be? (Slightly bird related)

 

On the smallest of Callum Brae’s dams was a nesting Australasian Grebe.  As I was photographing it close to its nest, quite suddenly the 5 to 7 bumps shown in the photos appeared nearby. They/it didn’t appear like bubbles, seemed solid, all the same size and didn’t burst or disintegrate like bubbles.  They appeared to be parts of one thing, like the Lock Ness monster. The Grebe turned to look at this thing and by 7 seconds later it/they disappeared, though I didn’t see in what manner.

 

Does anyone have any idea what it/they could be?  The pale thing in the foreground is a leaf.

 

Julian

 

 

 

 

 

Sequence below…

 

Photo 1 @ 0 secs (no blobs)

2 @ 1 second (blobs appear, all together, with wave-rings radiating outwards)

3 @ 2 seconds (bird turns to look at blobs)

4 @ 7 secs (blobs gone)