Herring Spawn! Serengeti of the Sea – Hornby Island, BC
Herring Spawn! Serengeti of the Sea – Hornby Island, BC
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Perhaps the most extraordinary day I have ever spent on the ocean was a day in March 2019 that I floated in my kayak into the middle of a small herring spawn on the shores of Hornby Island and was surrounded by a feeding frenzy of sea lions, gulls, eagles, shorebirds and seals.
Herds of sea lions feeding on herring create opportunities for gulls
Sleeping sea lions taking a break from the feeding
More than anything, dense swirls of shrieking gulls and barking sea lions animate the herring spawn
Eagles hunting for spawning herring
The patient heron quietly stalking herring contrasts with the shrieks of gulls
