A Northwoods Almanac for April 16 – 29, 2010
Drought
On April 1, David Schmoller in Minocqua sent me a note saying, “We are now 39.18 inches behind normal [rainfall] since 2003. We have had 0.68 inches this year; normal is 3.95.The early ice-out is not welcome.”
Regionally, as reported in the U.S. Drought Monitor, warm temperatures continued the first week of April. Most of the Midwest experienced temperatures more than 10°F above normal. Western Iowa and southwest Minnesota were 6° to 10°F above normal while the rest of the Midwest saw double digit temperature departures with northeast Ohio nearly 20°F above normal. More than 1000 record highs temperatures were set across the region with at least 60 record highs in each state and at least 40 record highs each day.
In the northern half of lower Michigan, stream flows are now within the lowest ten percent for their periods of record, which is a minimum of 30 years. In addition, the January to March 2010 season went down as the driest on record at Alpena, Traverse City, Sault Sainte Marie, and Gaylord. At Traverse City, only 1.18 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation fell during the period, which breaks the old record low of 1.98 inches set nearly a century ago (1912). In upper Michigan, the area of moderate hydrologic drought conditions has expanded, based largely on the very dry weather in recent weeks, precipitation deficits over the past 12 months, and the early snowmelt, with several river sites at or approaching record low stream flow values for this time of year. At Iron Mountain, MI, the 21-month precipitation deficit is now approaching 15 inches.
Some lakes in northern Minnesota experienced a record early ice-out due to the warmth this spring, while in southern Minnesota, the winter's heavy snow caused one of the biggest winter fish kills on record, the worst in many decades.
The U.S. Drought Monitor can keep you up on these details nationally as well as regionally and locally – see www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.
Also see the Wisconsin Palmer Drought Severity Index at www.aos.wisc.edu/%7Esco/clim-watch/graphics/pdsi-ts-02-l.gif. This site provides specific data on North Central Wisconsin, and currently is showing our area in moderate to severe drought condition. To get an historical perspective on droughts, please see the graph illustrating the cycles of high and low precipitation for our area since 1895.
Another website to consult for historical climate data is the Wisconsin State Climatology Office at www.aos.wisc.edu/~sco/clim-watch/index.html.
One can also get specific site climate data for our area. For instance, there are data recorders locally for Rest Lake, Eagle River, Buckatabon, St. Germain, Phelps, Minocqua Dam, Rhinelander, Sugar Camp, Park Falls, Prentice, and many others. Check the Midwest Regional Climate Center site to reference all their data: http://mrcc.sws.uiuc.edu/climate_midwest/mwclimate_data_summaries.htm.
In the meantime, if the lake or river closest to you is experiencing very low water levels, please spare the DNR the blame. One of the understandings required of all of us who live on water is that water levels rise and fall in natural cycles. We need to learn to accept the risks of flood and drought, as well as the joys, inherent in living on water.
Vernal Ponds Drying Up
One of the direct effects of drought is the drying of vernal ponds in our woodlands. These ephemeral sites typically fill with water in the spring after snowmelt, then gradually evaporate until they’re often completely dry by mid-summer.
Our early breeding frogs and salamanders lay eggs in these ponds on the bet that their young can grow and metamorphose into adults before the water disappears. So, species like spring peepers, wood frogs, and chorus frogs are dependent on these sites for reproduction. Where the ponds have vanished, or where the water levels are so low that the water won’t last long enough for the young tadpoles to reach adulthood, the frogs won’t successfully reproduce.
One of the great joys of spring in the Northwoods is hearing the absolute din created by spring peepers in the wetlands and vernal ponds. There are certainly spots where the water is sufficient to send the frogs into their utter merriment. But overall, that sound has been significantly muted by the drought conditions.
Exceptionally Early Ice-Out
Woody Hagge has collected ice-up and ice-out data on Foster Lake in Hazelhurst for the last 37 years. The average date for ice-out prior to this spring was April 17. This year the ice went out on March 27, three weeks earlier than average.
Ice-out in March occurred on Foster during only one other year in this 37-year period – on March 25 in 2000. For comparison, the latest ice-out date was May 7 in 1995, the only time in Woody’s record where the ice remained into May.
Most lakes in our region were ice-free as of the end of March.
Sightings
On 3/31 at the Vista overlook on Powell Marsh Judy and Tom Erickson counted at least 51 swans, most of which were very likely tundra swans. They also observed 30+ ringnecked ducks, 30+ geese, five sand hill cranes, and a Marsh hawk.
During the first week of April, Mike Trost was able to watch a northern harrier pluck a blackbird from its nest on Muninghoff Marsh near McNaughton.
In Boulder Junction, Dave Bosshard e-mailed with tongue planted firmly in cheek, saying he was “pleased to announce the very first wood tick of the season parked comfortably behind my wife's ear on the evening of April 3.”
On 4/1, John Randolph reported hearing his first wood frogs on Bolger Lake Road in Minocqua.
On April 1, at 11:00 AM, Renn Karl reported that his mother-in-law, Jerri Warling of Somerset, WI, was driving north on Highway 47 when she saw an adult cow moose about midway between Highway 182 and Highway 51. The moose stood in the southbound lane as Jerri approached and continued to stand there until Jerri came to a complete stop. The moose seemed undecided as to which direction to proceed when another car approached, and then the moose turned and loped into the woods.
Pat Schwai reported seeing juncos everywhere on 4/1. Although she had spied the first one of the year on March 23, they were moving through in numbers that day. She noted, “They're even sipping at a pedestal birdbath.”
In Manitowish, aspen trees and maple trees came into flower on 3/30. On 3/31, a woodcock took up residence in the wetland right below our house and began “peenting” in earnest. We’ve been able to watch and listen to him doing his “sky dance” for the last two weeks. We heard our first spring peepers, wood frogs, and chorus frogs also on 3/31. On 4/1, we heard our first Wilson’s snipe winnowing over the house, while on a human phonological note, we slept with our windows open and hung the laundry out for the first time this year. We also saw our first great blue heron. On 4/2, we observed FOYs (First-of-years) wood duck, blue-winged and green-winged teal, goldeneye, pied-billed grebe, song sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, marsh hawk, and cowbird. We saw our FOY flicker on 4/3. For a first-ever sighting on Powell Marsh on 4/4, we watched two juvenile golden eagles soar close overhead. On 4/7, we saw our first osprey, and on 4/10, we found trailing arbutus and hepatica in flower, and saw our first flock of tree swallows. Finally, on 4/12 during our first paddle of the year, we watched and listened to10 tundra swans on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage.
Timing Off in an Early Spring
During a typical Northwoods spring, the arrival of loons on most area lakes occurs within 24 hours of ice-off. Prior to ice-off, the loons are usually seen biding their time on the open waters of the Wisconsin River. Every day, however, it’s thought that they fly over the frozen lakes to check when the ice vanishes. Then, presto, they appear on the lakes.
Well, not this year. Though some loons are back, the timing of ice-off was so early that many lakes have still not seen the arrival of “their” loon pair as of this writing (4/12). Postings this past week on the Wisconsin BirdNet tell of loons by the dozens still hanging out on lakes in the Madison area apparently awaiting whatever signal goes off within them to move the next leg northward.
Lots of other natural events have come early this spring, from early blooming shrubs and trees to the return of many bird species like tree swallows. Even leopard frogs were singing on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage on 4/12, at least a month before we typically first hear them (the TFF usually is still totally iced-up until April 20 or so).
The fear regarding such early arrivals is that the timing will be thrown off for other species that may not have responded with such robust enthusiasm to the flirtings of April. For instance, unless a spate of insects hatch soon, the tree swallows will find slim table fare and then death via starvation. The various plant species that bloom or leaf-out now may also regret their blind fervor when hard frosts hit later in the month and possibly long into May and early June.
So, we’ll see how all this works out. Ruby-throated hummingbirds were reported in southern Illinois on 4/11. They’re not “supposed” to return to the Northwoods until around Mother’s Day, a month from now. But they’re not far from our doorstep, and they fare poorly when evenings frost hard. Let’s hope their innate wiring dictates appropriate caution rather than exuberance.
Migration at Sunset – Watch For It on Weather Maps
Most songbird migration takes place about a half hour after sunset. This phenomenon can easily be observed on any weather website that shows regional weather radar. To see the migration taking place on any given night, check the regional radar just before sunset to see what the actual weather is like in a given area. Then check again a half hour or so later to see the mushroom-like “blooms” of birds that are taking off and heading north – see the attached radar map from April 4 this year.
Celestial Events
Tonight (4/16) at dusk look for Venus about four degrees south of the two-day-old moon. The peak Lyrid meteor shower occurs on the night of 4/22. The Lyrids are rated at an average of 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
We’re up to 14 hours of daylight as of 4/24! The full moon occurs on 4/28.
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