I've been hitting the creeks a lot lately, still trying to find the elusive Bluenose Shiner. ( In an effort to see if they can still be found in my county ) No luck there, but I did find an Ironcolor Shiner in a place that they've never before been recorded! Whoo! So, that makes TWO tiny little spots in all of Alabama where they can be found. Yay!

My guess is that they were forced into a different fork of the stream during the last drought. Their previous location was dried and ruined during the drought, so I guess they managed to go well downstream until they finally reached a place to enter another tributary, and wound up going upstream into it. Why they were never there before is a puzzle, though; my real guess is that they probably always were, but were never detected. Today the original stream has been restored, sort of, but it is only a shadow of its former self. I don't expect it to ever recover fully, since there's always another drought just waiting to hit.

Anyway, now it can be said that Alabama's Ironcolor habitat has doubled! LOL.
Should I report this to someone official? Any idea who?

Steve Ryder is a nongame wildlife biologist for Alabama who would be interested in this, he's at the DCNR in Montgomery (but he's out a lot this time of year).

Steve Ryder is a nongame wildlife biologist for Alabama who would be interested in this, he's at the DCNR in Montgomery (but he's out a lot this time of year).

I'd report it so it can be protected.

Thanks, I'll look him up.
Oh, it won't be protected; it isn't now, so now that the habitat has doubled, it won't be later, right? HA!
The truth be told, you dang near need a helicopter to get in & out of that place, which is why I thought it would be a good spot for Bluenoses. It's plenty well-protected already by near-vertical banks, loose talus, prickerbushes, snakes, bugs, deep muck and other fun stuff. Only a very dedicated whacko like me would ever dare to go there again, and it's not on MY list of things to do.
I also found Weed Shiner & Fundulus olivacaeus, as well as some darter that I didn't catch and couldn't I.D..

great story, and congratulations