Throughout the lower Susquehanna basin, four commonly encountered Lepomis sunfishes are gathering in the shallows of lakes and ponds and in the pools of the regions streams and rivers to spawn. As water temperatures surge into the upper sixties and seventies, you’ll see them from the shoreline as the colorful male sunfish clears a nest depression to attract and court one or more egg-laying females. After the eggs are laid and fertilized, the male relentlessly guards the nest against trespassers, which can include other males protecting their scrapes located just a few feet away. A colony of nesting sunfish can include multiple species—hybridization does occur.
So grab a pair of close-focusing binoculars or a camera and go take a look. Because they generally thrive in clean, warmwater streams, you might be able to find all four of these Lepomis sunfishes in the waters near you.
