A Northwoods Almanac for 3/25 – 4/7/11
Sightings – Spring Arrivals!
“Spring” arrived on 3/20 with several inches of snow and another 12 to 16 inches forecast for 3/23, but such is life in the Northwoods. Remember: this is normal. The anomaly would have been if spring had really arrived with warm sunshine and green leaves.
The Manitowish River opened below our house on 3/12 – the 21-year average is 3/17. From our limited vantage point, we’ve seen only a few geese so far, and no other waterfowl, but the water is clearly beckoning.
Despite spring’s reticence to genuinely arrive, some birds have returned, although many may be questioning their haste after Wednesday’s snow. In Manitowish, grackles returned on 3/17, while both red-winged blackbirds and northern juncos appeared on 3/20 (the 14-year average for red-winged blackbirds returning to Manitowish is 3/21). Carl Ashe in Lac du Flambeau beat us by one day when he reported seeing redwings on 3/19.
Nancy Burns reported the first goose in our area on the Manitowish River on 3/8 – the 14-year average is 3/17.
We’ve yet to see our first robin, though others have: Margaret Hudson on Upper Gresham in Boulder Junction saw a robin in her yard on St. Pat's Day, 3/17, as did Kathleen Sanftleben, who saw three robins on a church lawn on Hwy 70. Jim Sommerfeld on Middle Sugarbush Lake in Lac du Flambeau reported his first robin of the year on 3/19. The 13-year average for the return of robins in Manitowish is March 23.
Rolf Ethun reported seeing the first sandhill cranes on 3/11 when he observed six cranes flying over Hiawatha Lake in Winchester. We saw our first crane on Powell Marsh on 3/21.
Pete and Carolyn Dring reported seeing a tree sparrow on 3/20, as well as two hooded mergansers on 3/21 on Helen Creek. In Manitowish, we haven’t noticed any migrating tree sparrows as of yet, but we had two tree sparrows overwinter at our feeders, which was quite unusual. And on 3/19 we noticed a tree sparrow with only one leg hopping around in our feeders and seemingly doing just fine.
Tundra swans began moving through southern Wisconsin last week and small numbers should be appearing in our area soon – best sites I know to see them are the Munninghoff Marsh on the Wisconsin River south of McNaughton and Little Trout Lake in Manitowish Waters.
Phil Williams in Winchester reported seeing several trumpeter swans on March 21 and sent several excellent photos, as did Wil Conway who observed a pair of trumpeters in Lac du Flambeau. Carl Ashe in Lac du Flambeau also sent photos of trumpeters.
The first common loon report came in from southern Wisconsin on 3/17, so they’re beginning to gather on available open water and will soon be scouting our area for open water.
Woodcocks were reported “peenting” on 3/13 in southern WI. Listen for them at dusk – they will be arriving soon.
On 3/21, Janet Alesauskas saw a great blue heron flying over the Save-More parking lot in Minocqua and landing on the top of a tall pine, while Nancy Burns observed one flying over the Wisconsin River the same day.
And finally, Laurie Timm on Witches Lake reported seeing chipmunks surfacing above ground on 3/16.
Eagles Migrating and Nesting
The bald eagle pair that we watch across the Manitowish River is now clearly incubating eggs. We were able to see an adult sitting on the nest on 3/16. Incubation takes about 30 days, so we may see chicks in mid-April.
While some eagles are already nesting, we took our first family hike of the year on the Powell Marsh dikes on 3/19, and we were treated with eight eagles migrating low over our heads. The annual raptor count from the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center west of Ashland got underway in northern Wisconsin as of 3/11. On 3/17, the counters tallied 41 bald eagles going by.
If you want to watch eagle behavior on nests, Jane Flanigan sent this link for a live eagle nest cam: http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/falcon_console.html
while Janet Alesauskas sent this link for a live eagle cam at Norfolk Botanical gardens:
The Arrival and Departure Dates of Wisconsin Birds
If you want to know what the record early dates are for birds returning to Wisconsin, see this website: http://wsobirds.org/arr_dep_2010b.html#vath.
Keep an eye on weather radar to see when and where birds are migrating this spring. Look at the radar before sunset to see what the weather is actually like, then look again a half hour to an hour after sunset to see the “blooms” of migrating birds that have taken off and are heading north.
Oldest Known Bird
In late February, the oldest known wild bird in the Northern Hemisphere was spotted at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The bird, a female Laysan albatross, is at least 60 years old, and she's a new mother! For a picture, see http://bit.ly/hTaio4
The website notes that this bird has sported and worn out five bird bands since she was first banded by U.S. Geological Survey scientist Chandler Robbins in 1956 as she incubated an egg. At the time, he estimated the albatross to be at least five years old.
This bird has likely raised at least 30 to 35 chicks during her breeding life. Since adult albatross mate for life, with both parents raising the young, it's possible that this bird has had the same partner for all these years.
Almost as amazing as being a parent at 60 is the number of miles the bird has likely flown. Adult albatrosses average about 50,000 miles a year, so this bird has flown at least two to three million miles since she was first banded, the equivalent of four to six trips from earth to the moon and back again, with miles to spare.
Pileated Woodpecker Courtship
Sandra Wenzel in Sayner called on 3/11 to share her delight in watching a male and female pileated woodpecker engage in some of their synchronized courtship behaviors. She watched them for over 45 minutes as they moved in unison on either side of a tree, their heads swaying in an arc, every action repeated by the other like they were looking in a mirror.
Pileateds engage in other courtship behaviors including wing spreading and crest raising displays, Wok and Wuk calls, demonstration tapping, and drumming. They may also utilize bark stripping, hopping, bowing, and head ducking while facing one another on the ground or on either side of a tree.
One way or another, courtship displays mean spring is upon us despite the wild variations of weather. All birds engage in their own specialized courtships – watch and listen for them!
Last Looks
While birds begin to pour in now from their southern wintering locations, some birds that wintered in our area will soon be departing for their far northern nesting locations. We’ve had a recent influx of common redpolls and pine siskins, most of which are just passing through. The pine grosbeaks we’ve been so pleased to have all winter will soon be on their way. And we saw a northern shrike on Powell Marsh on 3/19, and they, too, will soon be gone. Enjoy them while you can – all except a few pine siskins who remain to nest here won’t be returning until next winter.
Celestial Events
On 3/31, look at dawn for Venus about 6 degrees below the waning crescent moon. The new moon occurs on 4/3. We reach 13 hours of daylight on 4/5!
For planet-watching in April, look at dusk for Saturn rising in the east. At dawn, look for Venus low in the east, Mars low in the southeast at the month’s end, and Jupiter also low in the east at month’s end.
No comments:
Post a Comment