A Northwoods Almanac for April 26 – May 9, 2024 by John Bates
World’s Oldest Loons Return to Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the U.P.
The oldest documented common loons on the planet, named ABJ and Fe, have again reappeared on the waters of Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ABJ, who will turn 37 in June, has reoccupied his territory, while Fe (“Fay”), who will be at least 38 this summer, has returned to her territory.
Sad to say, after a quarter-century partnership of unparalleled fidelity and productivity, in 2022 ABJ and Fe went their separate ways, with the latter hatching a record 40th chick with a new mate, and the former ultimately spending a solitary season of bachelordom on a nearby pool.
They apparently attempted an April 2023 reconnection on their old territory, but Fe opted to eventually breed on her new territory, while ABJ limped back to his lonely territory with a broken upper mandible that was likely incurred during a battle with another male.
Rather than convalescing with a broken bill like most loons would, ABJ instead surprisingly paired on a new territory with a female known as Daisy, who was twenty years his junior. ABJ’s nest with Daisy, however, failed to produce chicks, as did Fe’s reproductive effort with an unbanded mate on her new territory.
Such may be the consequence of separation at such an old age! A morality tale?
Early spring is a time of flux for loon populations with territorial pairs navigating frequent intrusions from would-be usurpers – the very challenges that ABJ and Fe successfully parried for 25 years. It’s possible that the pair might attempt a reunion yet this spring, but it’s more likely they will initiate their 2024 breeding seasons again apart.
FOYs (First-of-the-years)
4/7: Judith Bloom reported seeing purple finches on Lake Tomahawk.
4/10: John Randolph reported the FOY ospreys at their nest sites on Hwy. 47 near McNaughton. This is a week to 10 days early for them. They usually have to wait for the lakes to open up, and that’s around 4/17 on average.
4/10: Mary and Charlie Ray on Manitowish Lake reported the FOY common loons.
Mary and I were in New Zealand from 3/20 to 4/10, so our personal sightings from Manitowish are missing for those 3 weeks. Here are our local sightings starting upon our return:
4/11: On Powell Marsh, 30 tundra swans descended out of a dark sky onto the first pool and were soon attacked by the resident nesting pair of trumpeter swans, causing their quick departure. Tundras are just stopping by on their way from their wintering grounds in Chesapeake Bay to their far Arctic breeding area.
Powell also provided us with FOY sightings of ring-necked ducks, buffleheads, sandhill cranes, and a migrating rough-legged hawk.
4/11: In Manitowish the same day, we had our FOY purple finches, northern flickers, and Wilson’s snipes.
4/12: FOY pine siskins showed up at our feeders – they were completely absent all winter.
4/13: We heard our FOY wood frogs, and saw our FOY northern harrier.
4/14: We heard our FOY spring peepers, saw FOY tree swallows at Powell Marsh, and watched a FOY turkey vulture soaring over Hwy. 51.
4/15 Out again on Powell, we had FOY wigeons, blue-winged teals, green-winged teals, a pied-billed grebe, a greater yellowlegs, and a couple wood ducks.
4/15: Joan Galloway reported seeing an Eastern phoebe, which is quite early for them.
4/16: Our FOY fox sparrow appeared under our feeders. FOY quaking aspen and beaked hazelnut in flower, as well as our FOY trailing arbutus on Frog Lake.
4/17: Our FOY chipping sparrow showed up at our feeders, and we saw our FOY belted kingfisher along the Manitowish River. Bears are coming out of hibernation. I’ve heard of several folks having their bird feeders ripped apart by hungry bears.
4/18: Our FOY white-throated sparrows flew in under our feeders.
Maple Sugaring Timing This Spring – Super Early!
One of the consequences of our non-winter was a dramatic disruption of the “normal” timing of the maple sap run. I spoke with Bob Simeone, professional forester and long-time maple syrup producer in Land O’Lakes, about the impacts he saw. His opening comment said it all: “It was the strangest winter in the 40 years I’ve been making syrup.
“All winter to March 18 or so, there was no snow. Then it turned cold and we got 20 or so inches of snow over a number of days which stayed until early April.
“Usually mid-March is the start of the season,” he said. “The core of the season then is usually the last week in March into the first week in April when we get 2.4% to 2.8% sugar in the sap. We keep gathering until the sugar gets below 2%, and then it’s time to quit. The syrup gets real dark. When the red maples bud out, and it gets to 60°, it’s over.”
But this year, “We had 4 to 5 days that were 60° before we even started making syrup! Many people began tapping in late January, but some folks chose to hold off out of fear of stressing the trees.”
Bob decided he wasn’t going to tap until 2/15. He only put out 100 taps (usually he does 300), because he was wary about the whole season. He initially had good sugar content, but it was a slow run. Then he and his wife left the first week of March for Costa Rica, and they’d only made six gallons of syrup [from about 250 gallons of sap] before they left.
They returned two weeks later, and the sap was turning yellow with a very low sugar content, so Bob pulled his taps.
He noted, however, that many producers did okay because it was such an extended season. Not everyone did as poorly as he did.
Bob’s very worried about what the future will be for syrup producers. He said, “The first 20 years we made syrup [early 1980s to early 2000s], we had ‘normal weather,’ and we put out 1000 taps and made lots of syrup.”
Then things started to change. “2012 was an early spring, too, but we had lots of snow on the ground. The beginning of March turned 60-80°. Then April turned cold and we got lots more snow. The trees were budded out and froze. We never tapped that year.
“The trees were clearly stressed this spring. So, the future is scary. Should we continue tapping or not? The trends look really worrisome. It’s such a gift to have maple syrup – will it be different for our kids? What will be the norm?”
Spring Snow/Storms?
Even considering this exceptionally mild winter, I don’t trust May to not throw one last snowstorm at us. How can you help the birds at your feeders if this happens? Five ways:
1. Clear any snow beneath your feeders and on your platform feeders to give ground-feeding birds like robins, flickers, and sparrows a meal.
2. Keep your suet feeders filled. Sapsuckers, robins, yellow-rumped warblers, even chickadees utilize suet.
3. If you’re feeling very generous, provide fruits and raisins, and best of all, mealworms. Robins, bluebirds, and some insect-eating species will thank you.
4. Make sure your feeders are near sheltering trees and shrubs. The first commandment for most birds is to stay dry.
5. Keep your feeders clean, so salmonella isn’t spread among the birds.
Peak Migration Coming Our Way
While many birds have already migrated back to our area to nest, or have already passed through on their way further north, the most intense period of migratory movement is yet to come. The peak of migration in our area, a window during which 50% of the total nocturnal bird migration historically passes through our area, is May 12 to May 15 (for more information, see https://birdcast.info/science-to-action/lights-out/peak-migration-dates-for-u-s-cities/).
This is when we expect to see our neotropical wintering birds return, like most of our warblers, vireos, flycatchers, etc.
Why so late? It’s all about insect hatches. These birds feast on insects, not seeds, and if our weather isn’t warm and wet enough to generate a host of insects, they’re likely to starve.
Depending on the year, even May 12 to 15 has occasionally been a bit early for good hatches, and the birds have suffered. Neotropical migrants return based on photoperiod – a hormonal trigger goes off when the daylight reaches a certain length, and they rise into the air to head to nesting sites thousands of miles away. It’s a leap of faith that the insects will be there, and one that hasn’t always been met.
With climate change, the timing is being flipped. The worry now is that major insect hatches along the path of their migrations will already be concluded.
Sandhill Crane Hunt?
A new study led by Wisconsin researchers reveals that only 17.4 percent of Wisconsin residents support a sandhill crane hunting season, and less than five percent reported that they were very likely to participate in a crane hunt. The study was initiated and funded by the International Crane Foundation and conducted in close collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison.
Celestial Events
On 5/3, look before dawn for Saturn a degree above the waning crescent moon. On 5/4, look before dawn for Mars just below the crescent moon. And it’s hard for me to believe, but as of 5/4, we’re already at the midpoint between spring equinox and summer solstice. We will now be blessed with 14 hours and 30 minutes of sunlight.
The peak Eta Aquarid meteor shower occurs in the predawn of 5/5 – expect an average of 20 meteors per hour.
Finally, 63 years ago on 5/5/1961, Alan Shephard became the first American in space on “Freedom 7.”
Thought for the Week
The late Terry Pratchett once gave a lecture on “The importance of being amazed about absolutely everything,” which feels like a mission statement we should all consider.
Please share your outdoor sightings and thoughts: e-mail me at manitowish@centurytel.net, call 715-476-2828, snail-mail at 4245N State Highway 47, Mercer, WI, or see my blog at www.manitowishriver.blogspot.com
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