That is a Lot of Fish!!

We got to help out with our first fish stocking today. There will be about twenty-five of these over the summer, and though they aren't part of our official duties we like to help out where we can.

Concrete Raceway

The hatchery has a number of these concrete raceways where the fish are held as they grow. This one contains about 9000 Rainbow Trout that are 18-24 months old and weigh 1/3 pound.

This morning's order was for 5625 trout to be delivered to a nearby lake. That number seems weirdly specific, but Paige (the hatchery biologist) says that they are usually asked for some total number of fish to be split into several stockings, so they get odd numbers like this.

Transport Truck

The hatchery has a large truck with three insulated tanks, aerators, oxygen bottles, etc. to transport fish from the hatchery to the lake. Joe, the maintenance man here handles the driving chores, as the driver has to have a CDL. 

Crowding Fish

Step one is to place a movable screen into the raceway and crowd the fish down to one end. This is Paige, and that water is cold!!

Transferring Fish into the Truck

Once the fish are crowded to one end, it becomes a three-person job. The person in the raceway scoops up fish in a net, hands it to someone on the edge of the raceway, then up to Joe who dumps them into the truck.

Whole Lot of Trout

Into the Truck

So how do they count the 5625 fish?? They don't! They go by weight and water displacement. They know that 5625 of these fish should weigh about 1800 pounds. And they know how much the water will rise in the truck's tanks for that many fish. They have a water-level gauge on the side of each tank, and when the water rises to the correct level they are finished with that tank. Smart!!

Water Level Guage

If you look closely at the picture above (click on it to make it larger) you will see the water level about 5" below that red mark. They add fish until the water is up to the mark. Easy peasy...

Fish are Getting Heavy!!

As the tanks were filled the fish were crowded into smaller and smaller areas to make them easier to net. The entire loading process took only 40 minutes start to finish. Realize that Paige and the others handled 1800 pounds of fish in this time, and she was in 42 degree water and had forgotten her gloves. She was ready to get out!

Hitting the Road.

And we're off! Check back to see the rest of the operation.

Mark

Evergreen Lakes

There are six small lakes on the hatchery grounds that together are called the Evergreen Lakes. Originally formed by glacial action, they were diked up and used as the original trout breeding ponds.

Evergreen Lake #3

In 1995 the Hatchery discovered whirling disease (deadly to trout) in the lakes and shifted production to concrete raceways where disease organisms were more easily controlled. 

Evergreen Lake #1

While no longer utilized for fish production, the Evergreen Lakes are the centerpiece of the public recreation area at the Hatchery. There is an excellent one-mile nature trail that winds around the lakes, as well as additional longer trails accessing the Mount Massive Wilderness Area. There are also picnic tables, grills, play areas, and a large group pavilion that is used for picnics, weddings, etc.

Mount Massive

There are several areas around the lakes that give wonderful views of snow-covered Mount Massive and Mount Elbert. The Hatchery was placed in this location because of the abundant fresh water draining off of these mountains.

Feeder Stream

There are several streams that drain into the Evergreen Lakes, and right now they are running hard with snow melt. The surrounding mountains are still getting snow, so hopefully the streams will continue to run strong through the summer.

Mark

Follow By E-Mail !!

One of our followers asked if we would add an e-mail notification to our blog. I told her I'd look into it and almost immediately her computer-savy spouse sent me the "how-to" instructions. Thanks Randy!!

So you'll find a new gadget in the upper right-hand corner that allows you to get e-mail notifications when we post a new blog. Requesting this notification is totally optional but some might find it more convenient than checking again and again.

Since I hate to post a blog without pictures, here is a picture of Mount Elbert taken just this morning:

Mount Elbert

Mark

Trying To Stay Warm

We’ve been at our “summer” home for 2 days and it’s snowed on and off the whole time.

Out our window - Friday afternoon

I haven’t shown any of my afghans in a while so I thought this would be a good time to get a few out.

So far I’ve crocheted 10 afghans since leaving Texas.  At the request of Linus, where I donate my afghans, these are smaller than I usually crochet.  I can usually whip one up in about a week.

Most of these are “scrap” afghans.  I’m trying to use up all the small balls of yarn I’ve been accumulating.  Sometimes it’s quite a challenge to put colors together!

Leadville National Fish Hatchery

We have arrived at our summer home, Leadville National Fish Hatchery. Established in 1889, Leadville NFH is the second oldest federal fish hatchery in the United States. It occupies over 3000 acres at an elevation of 10,000 feet. The cold, clean water supply provides ideal conditions for trout production.

The main hatchery building was constructed in 1890 and is still in use today. If you are wondering what that white pile is to the right of the porch, it is snow!  Yes, there is still snow on the ground here in many places, and the forecast calls for additional light snow through the week.

This is the view to the east from our trailer. It is the Mosquito Range of the Rockies and as you can see there is still plenty of snow.  To our immediate west, but obscured by trees is the taller Sawatch Range. Just 8 miles away is Mount Elbert, which at 14,400 feet tall is the tallest peak in Colorado.

We're just getting settled in and haven't starting any real volunteering yet, so stay tuned for more from frosty Leadville, Colorado.

Mark

Getting Close

We've made it into Colorado and will spending a couple of nights in Alamosa before heading up to Leadville. We spent the summers of 2012 and 2013 at the Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges and it was one of our favorite assignments.

Here is the view out the back window of our trailer!! They've had a good wet winter and still have some snow-pack up in the mountains.

Sangre de Cristo Mountains

We've had a chance to visit with the Refuge Manager who oversaw our work and we'll meet up with her again before we leave. On Thursday we'll head up to Leadville and settle in for the summer. 

Mark

Large Hummingbirds and an Owl

We have visited a couple more special birding sites the past two days. Both are known for being great places to see hummingbirds. Southeast Arizona hosts more species of hummingbirds than any other area in the United States, and two of them are quite large compared to the others.

Magnificent and Black-chinned Hummingbirds

This picture shows a Magnificent Hummingbird on a feeder next to a Black-chinned Hummingbird. Back home in Texas, most hummingbirds are either Black-chinned or the closely related Ruby-throated. You can see how much larger the Magnificent Hummingbird is.

All male hummingbirds have iridescent feathers on their throat. This shiny area is called the gorget. A male Magnificent Hummingbird sports not only a bright green gorget, but also iridescent violet feathers on their crown.

Magnificent Hummingbird

If the light isn't right their feathers may not glow. However if the light is at the right angle they look, well... Magnificent!!

Magnificent Hummingbird

The other "big" hummingbird in the area is the well-named Blue-throated Hummingbird.

Blue-throated Hummingbird

They are just as large as the Magnificent Hummingbird, but not quite as flashy.

We also got an opportunity to see the rare Spotted Owl. In the Pacific Northwest the Spotted Owl is an endangered species that has caused a lot of issues with the logging industry. The birds in Arizona are considered a separate "Mexican" population. 

Spotted Owl

We understand that this is the male. The female is nearby tending a nest.

These are just a few of the "specialty" birds that we've seen in Arizona the past couple of days. Stay tuned for more!

Mark