We have been lucky enough to see the salmon spawning several times this month! We have seen them in many streams throughout Kitsap. It’s very useful to show our kids the cycle of life in nature around them and in such a dramatic fashion. With so many visits this year to watch the spawning we were able to catch the beginning, middle and even ending with many dead fish lining the streams. As transplants from the Midwest, seeing salmon in the wild is very new to us and is very interesting for the kids to see. As you will see in the video, the water levels this year were very low making it difficult for the Chum/dog Salmon to spawn upriver as they are not as proficient and require deeper water to swim as some of the other types such as the Coho – which are also local to our area. Thankfully, Sam was able to put this video together for those who haven’t seen it for themselves before but make sure to have the sound on:

Time has flown since moving here and already we look forward to witnessing the spawning each year. Besides whale watching and crabbing it might be our kids’ favorite activity with wildlife here in the PNW! We really enjoyed being able to show Odin and Aspen this awesome thing in nature. Chico Salmon Park was the best spot to salmon view. It allows you to get nice and close without disturbing the salmon. You don’t realize how big the salmon are until you are right next to them! It was really fun to hear and watch them get so excited as another one started making its way upstream. Sometimes they were busy looking for the next fish and another one would splash them on its way by! Getting splashed by the fish was far closer than we had ever expected to get.

So thankful to have so many learning opportunities right outside our door, for the kids and us!

On to the next adventure…