This is unrelated to birds. I was at Captains Cove this morning looking for the Tufted Duck (no luck). I parked in the small lot by the restaurant and noticed many Gulls eating live fish on the docks. As I approached the water I noticed thousands of fish swimming around right at the surface. Most of the fish had their mouths wide open. There was some type of upward current of water that the fish were around. Any idea what caused this? Tom Kenefick Woodbridge Sent from my iPhone

Menhaden (bunker). Plankton feeders that should be on their way south long before this but for some reason this year - maybe warm water in the Sound - they are still here but the plankton grows scarce in cold water and the bunker die off. They have also died from lack of oxygen in the water. I was fishing off the Stamford pier at Cummings Park a few weeks ago and the water was alive with them but the usual predators - bluefish and striped bass - were missing. I actually foul-hooked one by accident reeling in my line they were so thick. Tossed him back. I've been on the Sound since the early 1940s and I've never seen so many as this year. On Fri, Jan 1, 2021 at 7:52 PM Tom Kenefick via CTBirds < ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote: > This is unrelated to birds. I was at Captains Cove this morning looking > for the Tufted Duck (no luck). I parked in the small lot by the restaurant > and noticed many Gulls eating live fish on the docks. As I approached the > water I noticed thousands of fish swimming around right at the surface. > Most of the fish had their mouths wide open. There was some type of upward > current of water that the fish were around. Any idea what caused this? > > Tom Kenefick > Woodbridge > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) > for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. > For subscription information visit > http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org >

Saw a deceased one on East Beach at Hammo today.  Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android On Fri, Jan 1, 2021 at 11:07 PM, Paul Plotnick via CTBirds<ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote: Menhaden (bunker). Plankton feeders that should be on their way south long before this but for some reason this year - maybe warm water in the Sound - they are still here but the plankton grows scarce in cold water and the bunker die off. They have also died from lack of oxygen in the water. I was fishing off the Stamford pier at Cummings Park a few weeks ago and the water was alive with them but the usual predators - bluefish and striped bass - were missing. I actually foul-hooked one by accident reeling in my line they were so thick. Tossed him back. I've been on the Sound since the early 1940s and I've never seen so many as this year. On Fri, Jan 1, 2021 at 7:52 PM Tom Kenefick via CTBirds < ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote: > This is unrelated to birds. I was at Captains Cove this morning looking > for the Tufted Duck (no luck). I parked in the small lot by the restaurant > and noticed many Gulls eating live fish on the docks. As I approached the > water I noticed thousands of fish swimming around right at the surface. > Most of the fish had their mouths wide open.  There was some type of upward > current of water that the fish were around. Any idea what caused this? > > Tom Kenefick > Woodbridge > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) > for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. > For subscription information visit > http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org > _______________________________________________ This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org