Lower Taney Spoonbill

[Trav]

Found an interesting floater behind my dock.

Is it part of a larger population or did it take the water chute ride while the gates were open?

[Forsythian]

my boy and I saw one last summer on an early foggy morning near Empire Park... swimming along just below the surface right next to the boat... probably 5 feet long or better. surprised the heck out of us

[Seth]

I would imagine a few make it through the dam or w/e and live to tell the other fishies about it. Man that would be a site to see I bet in that super clear water for people that haven't seen on up close before.

[twosets]

Hey Trav

Thats a beauty, did you get to measure it?

Thanks for the pic.

George

[pridej03]

Its crazy to see some of the things that happen after the gates being open. I dont know if a person would actually see a spoonbill coming through the gates but that would really be a sight to see.

[WebFreeman]

Boy that would suck if you were a fish. Swimming along, minding your own business on the Rock, then you sucked through a flood gate and dropped a couple hundred feet.

[Trav]

It was a rotting smelly corpse. I didnt bother measuring. But counting the bill, It was well over 3 feet long.

[Daddy Carp]

That one probably came through the gates & got hurt on the way. This time of year they would be pretty well up towards the dam or up Bull Creek (warmer water) moving to spawn. There could be a few in Taney but I doubt they will survive the cold water that long. They are however a bottom feeder on veg. only. Normally they stay pretty deep until spring when they move up river to spawn. Guess they could have survived, but doubtful, otherwise we would be seeing them in Bull Creek. The James river, before Table Rock, was a major river for snagging Bills. They are still there and trolled for. ???? Just guessing & pondering

[duckydoty]

That one probably came through the gates & got hurt on the way. This time of year they would be pretty well up towards the dam or up Bull Creek (warmer water) moving to spawn. There could be a few in Taney but I doubt they will survive the cold water that long. They are however a bottom feeder on veg. only. Normally they stay pretty deep until spring when they move up river to spawn. Guess they could have survived, but doubtful, otherwise we would be seeing them in Bull Creek. The James river, before Table Rock, was a major river for snagging Bills. They are still there and trolled for. ???? Just guessing & pondering

I did not know they were bottom feeders eating only vegitation? I always thought they were filter feeders eating such things as zoo plankton just as whales feed.

duckydoty

[Daddy Carp]

You are right, I did not mean like a catfish or carp, just that they will hang to the bottom & stir things up with the bill. when they feed, they will actually suspend normally facing up current and take in the plankton, filter & expell the waste. Also, they have no bones, only a cartlage like spine.