May 1
Nothing more to say at the moment but a full day of a magnificent migration into Slough Pond. Life is good.
Nothing more to say at the moment but a full day of a magnificent migration into Slough Pond. Life is good.
May 2
Still running strong today. An amazing migration here with good water level and flow for their passage. The removal of the blockade at top of the channel at Slough was perfectly timed. Herring are known to run well on a full moon.
Still running strong today. An amazing migration here with good water level and flow for their passage. The removal of the blockade at top of the channel at Slough was perfectly timed. Herring are known to run well on a full moon.
May 4
A banner weekend for the herring migration into Slough Pond. It's been four days now and the herring are still arriving though the numbers are a tad reduced. Everything still looks good in the passage. Spawning is taking place along the Walker's shore and Slough shore and some have even been spotted as far in as the landing, where the water level reads a bit higher today. Hesitation was noted along the upper reaches of the channel where a side board has come loose and the usual hesitation and schooling at the entrance to the culvert pipe. May's Star Flowers are appearing in the woods.
A banner weekend for the herring migration into Slough Pond. It's been four days now and the herring are still arriving though the numbers are a tad reduced. Everything still looks good in the passage. Spawning is taking place along the Walker's shore and Slough shore and some have even been spotted as far in as the landing, where the water level reads a bit higher today. Hesitation was noted along the upper reaches of the channel where a side board has come loose and the usual hesitation and schooling at the entrance to the culvert pipe. May's Star Flowers are appearing in the woods.
May 5
Far fewer fish today but they are still running. Today's mystery is why so many are below the culvert pipe and absolutely none beyond it. Blocked ?
May 6
NRD's Ryan Burch asked the Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project (a state program with regional offices including Barnstable County) to stop by today and clear out the culvert pipe as they have the proper equipment and experience. They arrived promptly and discovered that there was no actual blockage or collapsed pipe but there was an accumulation of debris which was cleared. Note the tanic color of the water below the culvert after the cleaning. We are always grateful for beneficial partnerships such as these at work.
There were no fish this afternoon though a few lingered this morning. In the interim, Ryan reinstated the sandbag weir at the mouth of Slough to build up water levels in the passage which are low in some areas. The landing gauge is also reading low, Note the sand accumulations along the channel especially below Slough; not unusual. He has promised to dig this out as we await the return of the herring; once spotted, the sandbags will be reopened. We appreciate Ryan's dedication to the run again this spring and to keeping everyone informed.
May 7
The first signs of the survey team today down at the passage. The engineering firm hired by the DMF is initially tasked with setting land boundaries and subsequently assessing the environmental impact of the potential restoration project.
A Great Egret was seen in the area where the Swans nest every year in Walker's but it didn't seem to bother the male. If you look closely you can see him entering the passage dabbling for nutrients at the bottom. No fish today. A Great Blue Heron, Night Herons, and Eagles have all been spotted.
May 10
On this Mother's Day fish are spawning just to the side of the entrance into the passage along Walker's Pond. There is no flow in the passage. It is possible they aren't receiving the signal scent from Slough due to the sandbag weir being closed making the water stagnant. My sense is they might need this scent. Hopefully, the bags can be opened for a couple of days to accommodate their return. Hard to count the number of herring present as the visibility is low here. It was not difficult to spot this adult herring that we were gifted with on our dock this morning. Meanwhile a Mallard pair enjoy the peace and solitude of the quiet passage; they return here yearly, this year among the survey flags
May 11
The sandbag weir was opened this morning and the herring are once again heading into Slough Pond. Some are still spawning along the Walker's shore and within the passage itself. The high energy of their migration is back in force. It took a little effort for them to cross the shallowest area just below the sandbags and even over the bags themselves so some adjustment might be required. Sandbags were positioned long that stretch to keep the water deep no doubt. The flow is strong and the level fairly even throughout. We did spot one "down runner" but it turned out to be a small pickerel. There do not appear to be any down runners at this point. We encountered an injured Mallard well-hidden and nestled along the channel and will go back for her tomorrow if she is still there. There was a scent of wild animals in the woods but her injury may have been from some of the aggressive Drakes who harass juvenile females.
