Common nase (Chondrostoma nasus) during reproduction

This was one of those moments you can't plan for…

I got up early this morning and walked the few minutes it takes to get to the banks of the river Isar that flows through my hometown Munich. Actually, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a White or a Grey wagtail (indeed, I saw both!). But then I noticed that in the flat waters, bordered by rocks and pebbles, I repeatedly heard splashing noises, like you can can hear when a large bird is bathing. Only, I saw no birds at that spot.

So I went a little close, and lo and behold, there were about 50 dark forms in the water - a group of fish, each trying to defend their place. And occasionally a few of them would vie for a better place, splashing around. As I read up, this is usually a sign that a female is in the process of spawning eggs, so that a number of males immediately tries to be the first to place their sperm.

Watching this spectacle was completely unexpected for me, because the little sand- and rock-banks around those riverbanks are usually very heavily “populated” by thousands of people who go there to barbecue, drink, listen to music, drink, relax and drink. And since last night was Saturday with record breaking temperatures for early April, half of the city had apparently been there to party last night, judging from the amount of trash and empty bottles I saw this morning.

Anyway, I felt more like being in the Canadian wilderness watching this outburst of Nature.

One of the fish had washed up on the riverbank, allowing a clear identification. Head:

Tail:

Notice the already missing eye… When I switched to the other side of the river channel, I watched the aptly named Carrion crow having an easy breakfast: