A Northwoods Almanac for March 3-16, 2023
Migratory Chickadees?
Bruce Bacon, retired DNR wildlife manager and a master bird bander from Mercer, is a wealth of information. I speak with Bruce frequently about what birds he’s catching, or not catching as the case may be, and I’m always plying him for ecological insights on “our” birds. This winter he’s broken his own record, by far, for banding black-capped chickadees – 151 separate individuals since October 1! This doesn’t include recaptures of the same chickadees, which occurs with regularity as well.
This is significant because on a daily basis, Bruce has perhaps10 chickadees coming to his feeders, and black-capped chickadees are not a migratory bird. So, what this says is that black-capped chickadees do what Bruce calls “a winter shuffle.” They move from place to place seeking the best food or greatest safety, but they stay within a relatively small area. Bruce’s record for the distance between where a chickadee was banded and where he caught the same one is 50 miles, but that’s a rarity. Most recaptures are within a much smaller distance.
So, chickadees wander, but don’t migrate. In doing some further research, I found one study that tallied 60,000 Canadian banding records collected from 1921 to 1995 which showed that 90% of recaptured black-capped chickadees showed no movement at all.
But, there are always exceptions in the natural world, and several other studies have shown that occasionally long-distance movements do occur, but almost always by young birds after fledging, though these are considered “irruptions,” not migratory movements. Again, these are mostly young birds, not adults.
So, what to make of Bruce’s record 151 chickadees? Well, neither of us have answers, but we’re speculating that nearly all are doing the “winter shuffle,” and not irrupting given the time of year.
Bruce also noted that over this winter, he has recaptured two chickadees that are over seven years old, two that are over eight years old, and two that are over nine years old. These are birds that he had previously banded, so he knows for sure that they are at least these ages. The record oldest chickadee recaptured in North America is over 12 years old. In a previous winter, Bruce recaptured the third oldest on record at 11 years and 4 months, but unfortunately he hasn’t seen this one since.
Bruce also banded 99 evening grosbeaks this winter, an exceptional number given how few evening grosbeaks we have seen in our area over the last three decades. He noted that he hasn’t recaptured any of them – “they’re too smart.” They, too, do the winter shuffle, but are considered both migratory and irruptive. We still have 30 or so “regulars” at our feeders (out of the 60 or more we had in December), but we have no idea whether they are some of the same ones we’ve had all along, or if they’re shufflers.
And then there’s red-breasted nuthatches. This is a low year for red-breasted nuthatches, at least at Bruce’s feeders. This winter he’s only caught 6 – his best year was 29. Red-breasted nuthatches are true migrants, but clearly some are residents, too, as well as some do the shuffle. The literature says this about them, “[They are a] partial migrant. Northernmost populations appear to migrate south annually; remaining populations are resident during most years but exhibit irruptive movements in some years.”
Bottom line? While we can identify birds by species at our feeders, it’s very hard to know just who it is that is at our feeders – a bird that’s been a resident in our yard or woods for years, or one that is passing through as part of a short shuffle or a long migration. Thank goodness for bird banders, or we’d know even less about their movements.
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| White-throated sparrow in Bruce Bacon's hand |
Great Lakes Ice or Lack Thereof
As of Feb. 15, the Great Lakes overall had just over 6.5 percent ice cover − the lowest for this date since scientists began recording ice cover more than 50 years ago. At this time of year, ice cover should be roughly 40 percent.
Ice cover currently ranges from 0.7% on Lake Erie to just above 11% on Lake Huron. Lake Michigan has just under 8%, most of which is in the bay of Green Bay. Lakes Superior and Ontario have 4.9% and 1.5%, respectively.
What’s the larger picture? A recent study found a 70% decline in overall Great Lakes’ ice cover between 1973 and 2017.
Among many concerns, declining ice cover leads to warmer lakes, increasing prime conditions for algae blooms. These blooms appear every summer in Lake Erie and the bay of Green Bay in Lake Michigan. But now, these blooms are showing up in Lake Superior – blooms have been reported in the lake every year since 2018.
Lake Superior is the northernmost and coldest of the Great Lakes, with average summer surface temperatures around 60 degrees compared with 75 degrees for Lake Erie. Scientists are unclear why the warming is happening given that Lake Superior’s shoreline is not as developed as the others, nor is there a heavy agricultural presence nearby.
What does it means for the lake? Also unclear.
However, ice cover is a dynamic process that can change quickly. Whether March temperatures will be low enough to create more ice is an unknown, but it’s unlikely that more ice will form given that spring equinox is not far off.
CWD Continues to Spread
Wisconsin found chronic wasting disease in a record 31 counties during 2022’s deer seasons, including three new counties – Buffalo, Langlade and Waupaca. But in 2017, CWD was found in only 20 counties, so it’s clearly spreading. Locally, five cases have been found in Oneida County, and one in Vilas.
The Department of Natural Resources has now found CWD in free-ranging deer in 41 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties (57%). Ten counties that previously found CWD did not find additional cases in 2022, which would be promising if it weren’t for the facts that testing is voluntary and 70% of Wisconsin hunters have never submitted a deer for testing. (For a more thorough analysis, see an article by Pat Durkin at https://www.patrickdurkinoutdoors.com/post/cwd-found-in-record-31-counties-during-2022-deer-hunts.)
Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing Every Day
In the winter, Mary and I make a point of getting out every day to snowshoe or ski. Since we live in snow country, and the winter is long, we’ve committed ourselves to enjoying the winter as long as our bodies will allow. If one wants to fight off cabin fever, the best way is to enjoy the winter, not begrudge it; embrace it, not shrink from it.
Over the last months, we’ve snowshoed or skied in the Frog Lake and Pines SNA, Doering Woods SNA, DuPage Lake Peatlands SNA, Flambeau River Wetlands SNA, “Mercer Pines” area, Powell Marsh State Wildlife Area, Mecca ski trails, WinMan trails, North Lakeland Discovery Center trails, and Powell Marsh ski trail, and we have many other sites in mind to explore yet this winter.
What helps is having the right gear. We have three different sets of skis: our regular skis for use on tracked trails, our backcountry skis for use after heavy snows or in icier conditions, and our short, fat skis with integrated skins, called “Hok” skis, for getting off trail or for staying more stable on top of crusty ice. Hok skis serve as a middle-ground between snowshoes and skis.
We also have three sizes of Iverson wooden snowshoes, saved from the days a few decades back when we used to sell Iversons out of our shop. We have short ones (30”) for packed trails, mid-sized ones (36”) for breaking trails in lighter snow, and long ones (46” or 56”) for breaking trail after heavy snows. We prefer wooden shoes to aluminum because of the noise factor – metal shoes are really loud, particularly on packed trails. Having said that, I did break a pair of my wooden shoes in two places on a recent hike into a state natural area, but was lucky enough to have remembered to bring along a small roll of duct tape for just such an emergency. I was able to patch the shoe together enough so I didn’t have to posthole a mile back to the road.
In defense of the shoes, they were 25 years old, so they served me well for a very long time. They’ll now go on the wall next to the truly old wooden snowshoes worn by Mary’s grandparents and parents whose house we live in now.
Celestial Events
For planet-watching in March, look after dusk for Jupiter and Venus in the west-southwest – both set before midnight. Look also after dusk high in the south for Mars. For early risers, look before dawn for Saturn rising in the east-southeast.
The full moon occurs on March 7. Variously known as the “Worm/Crow/Sap/Crust on Snow” moon, this could be our last full moon whose brilliant light is reflected off a snow cover, so get out and enjoy it if you can.
We hit 11 hours and 30 minutes of sunlight as of March 8 as we head for the magic day of March 17 when we will have equal portions of sunlight and nighttime. Every day now our sunlight is growing longer by 3 minutes and 15 seconds, and even if winter lingers as it surely will, you can tell by the amount of light that we’re heading fast toward spring.
Canoecopia
On March 10 and 11, I will be in Madison at Canoecopia, the largest paddlesports consumer event in the world. It takes place in the Alliant Energy Center Exposition Hall where 500 exhibiters will be displaying kayaks, canoes, stand up paddleboards, outdoor equipment and clothing. If you’re a gearhead, this is nirvana for you.
The event also showcases over 100 presentations and clinics where you can learn about specific gear, develop skills, and discover some of the many places to paddle, both near and far.
I’ll be speaking on two topics, but I’d be going anyway to be a part of the 20,000 people that typically attend. It’s often barely spring in Madison, but the place will be rocking with the enthusiasm of Midwesterners who all have a little, or a lot, of cabin fever, and are ready to see open water. Hope to see you there!
Thought for the Week
“When somebody would be walking out of a cancer ward, they would ring the bell to signify they had finished the treatment, and if they went outside and it was raining, they would say it’s the nicest rain they’d ever felt.” – Gary McKee when he was asked what inspired him to run a marathon every day for one year straight no matter the weather or how he felt.
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