* Oh, if anyone is wanting to get me a good Christmas gift I need a 77mm polarizing filter for my 70 - 200mm lens.*
(nests) and plenty of dead or dieing salmon for the hungry Gulls.
Three kinds of the five Pacific salmon are here. Most people see only the Chum salmon that usually spawn in very large numbers in the main shallows of the stream. The males are a dingy grey-green, often developing reddish-purple vertical bars. The females at sexual maturity are creamy-grey with a dark mid-stripe length-wise along each side. But both may vary.
In some years Coho salmon spawn in considerable numbers in Goldstream, in other years they are scarce. They tend to be shy and secretive, often hiding beneath logs and overhanging banks, and they like restricted spawning places such as tiny tributaries, or even ditches. Both male and female Coho at maturity have dark green heads and backs and bright cherry red on their sides.
The third kind of Pacific salmon seen here is the Chinook or Spring salmon, which seems to be increasing its numbers since recent stream improvements were carried out. From the bank these are noticeably larger salmon, blackish in colour with heavy black spots. Only the males have strong spawning colours, and are more purplish-black than Coho.