At least that is what I think they are. I was walking across a foot bridge over the Chippewa River last week when I noticed something reflecting in the water. It was about five feet long and seemed to be moving around erratically. Upon closer examination it turned out to be a large grouping of water bugs. This was the first time I have seen anything like this. I worked my way under the bridge and took some closer shots. If I touched the water they would scatter and then gradually return to the group.
The first shot was taken from the bridge the second from the shore under the bridge.
Posted by Bruce Palla on August 24, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Cool find, Phil. You'd think there would be some fish gorging themselves. It's like a bait ball.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on August 25, 2011 at 9:09 PM
Could those be whirligig beetles? What you saw would be a well known behavior for those species. "Rafts" estimated at 1,000,000+ beetles have been reported, although those would usually be mixed species.
Posted by Toni Lankerd on August 26, 2011 at 8:57 AM
What a great find, Phil! I never would have thought that water bugs group like this.
Discussion
7 repliesThe first shot was taken from the bridge the second from the shore under the bridge.
Comments Welcome
Thanks for the info. I found a video on the internet and it looks like what I was seeing. I sure was fun watching them.