A Northwoods Almanac for 3/27 - 4/9/2026

 A Northwoods Almanac for 3/27 - 4/9/2026 

 

Sightings - Sharp-shinned Hawk, Purple Finch, Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco

            Our blizzard on 3/15 and 3/16 brought four new species to our feeders - a sharp-shinned hawk, several purple finches, a dark-eyed junco, and a tree sparrow. Hunger is certainly a motivator! 

            The sharp-shinned sat on a branch near one of our feeders and would have been easily seen by any nearby bird. I wondered at its tactics, but perhaps it thought that the weather would force a young bird to take a chance on getting a seed and not know what hit it.

            I turned my head briefly to talk with Mary, and the branch was empty when I glanced back. Whether the sharpie grabbed a songbird or not, I don’t know, but we’ve not seen it since. 

            Migration is on! The birds that wintered-over not far south of here are the first to return, so you will likely already be seeing American robins and red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, and European starlings by the time you read this. Whether we will get a flight of redpolls and pine siskins yet this early spring is an open question - they’ve been a scarce commodity all winter for most of us.

             

Manitowish River Opens

            The Manitowish River opened up below our house in Manitowish on 3/9, which is a bit early - the average date is around 3/16.  

            In 2024, the river only iced-over for two weeks - from Jan. 15 to Jan. 30, the shortest period in the 42 years we’ve been here. 

            The latest year of opening was 2014 when the ice went off on 4/10.

            As soon as the ice is was off, we heard Canada geese honking on the river. 

            Trumpeter swans are back, too, though since some winter-over on the Manitowish, it’s hard to know who is a recent migrant and who has been here all along.

            We saw our first hooded mergansers on the river on 3/17, and I suspect common goldeneyes were here by then, too, but it’s always a bit of luck to see any bird at a specific time and place. 

            The early waterfowl migrants are those who wintered only as far south as open water. Later waterfowl migrants, like blue-winged teal, winter in Central and South America, so their appearance is delayed. But most of “our” waterfowl winter in the southern U.S., so they show up quickly after ice-off.

green-winged teal range map

blue-winged teal range map

 

Papa Hambone

            There have been many superb Wisconsin writers on the natural world - Aldo Leopold sitting on top of the pedestal - but I suspect there has never quite been one like George Vukelich. I was speaking earlier this month at Canoecopia in Madison on the topic of “The Love Language of Rivers,” a fancy title for me sharing excerpts from writers who have written beautifully of their love for rivers, and one of the excerpts I chose was from George Vukelich. 

            After my talk was over, a gentleman introduced himself to me as Vince Vukelich, one of George’s children. He wanted me to know that many of George’s articles and recordings are on this website: www.papahambone.com.

            George wrote two columns weekly for the Isthmus of Madison, a monthly column for the Wisconsin Outdoor Journal, columns for the Capital Times and Madison Magazine, produced a dozen documentaries, and hosted the WPR program Pages from a North County Notebook on Sunday nights. His two books, North Country Notebook Volume 1 and North Country Notebook Volume 2 are always in reach on my overcrowded bookshelves. And he also wrote a novel, Fisherman’s Beach.

            Back in 1993, I wrote a review for the Wisconsin Academy Review (now Wisconsin People and Ideas magazine) of his North Country Notebook Vol. 2. In it I said: “Vukelich's writing bridges the abyss that usually separates the stereotypical consumers (hunters/fishermen) and the non-consumers (hikers, birders). He's anthropomorphic without falling into handkerchief sentimentality, and without giving up his license to catch (‘prune back’ says Vukelich) innumerable fish. There's wisdom and perspective here, characters we can relate to, all given with a strong dose of laughter. He says, ‘When you live up in the North Country in winter, you just naturally keep track of things because you could wind up freezing your buns if you don't.’”  

            Check out papahambone.com if you’re not familiar with George Vukelich. He had a unique voice, one worth hearing. 

 

Impacts of a Blizzard and All Weather is Local

            I imagine the species of wildlife that was happiest about our blizzard was snowshoe hare. Deep snow acts as a trap for most predators while serving as a distinct home-field advantage for a snowshoe hare who can stay on top of the snow with its enormous feet.

            For most species, however, travel became very difficult and food resources were blanketed with snow. March is known as “the starvation month,” so the particular timing of this storm could have spelled trouble - many species are likely barely holding on in anticipation of spring finally arriving.

            On the other hand: It’s been the warmest March on record so far across the United States in terms of daytime high temperatures. Not only will temperatures break March monthly records out West in particular, but this heat wave will apparently even break April records. Around 800 high temperature records were forecast to be neared, tied or broken at 165 locations in Western and Central states - some by more than 10 degrees - with unusual warmth set to linger into late March.

 

Good News for the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population 

            The eastern monarch butterfly population overwintering in Mexico’s oyamel fir forests occupied 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) during the 2025-2026 overwintering season, according to the latest survey released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). This represents about a 64% increase compared to last year’s estimate of 1.79 hectares.

            Each winter, researchers survey monarchs while they cluster together at their overwintering sites in central Mexico. Rather than counting individual butterflies, scientists estimate population size by measuring the total area of trees occupied by monarch clusters. One hectare equals approximately 2.47 acres, or just over two American football fields. Although the number of monarchs per hectare varies by year and site, estimates suggest roughly 20 to 30 million monarchs per hectare, with a median estimate of 21.1 million.

            So, with nearly 3 hectares of habitat, their population should be around 60 million.

            However, the eastern monarch population remains below levels considered necessary for long-term sustainability. Research suggests that at least 6 hectares of occupied overwintering habitat are needed to support a stable eastern migratory population.

            Year-to-year changes in population size depend on conditions across the entire migratory range, including the availability of milkweed and nectar plants during the breeding season, weather conditions along the migration route, and habitat quality at overwintering sites. 

            Conditions during the 2025 breeding season were more favorable for monarchs than in 2024, hence the higher numbers. The year 2024 got hotter and drier in the Upper-Midwestern monarch breeding range as the summer progressed leading to lower-than-expected numbers of monarchs in the second and third generations of 2024. When the late summer monarchs left their northern breeding grounds in 2024, they also faced large areas of drier-than-normal conditions through the U.S. part of their migration. 

            The summer weather in 2025 was closer to normal, so they fared better.

            The best way to support monarchs is to create more habitat for them (milkweed species!), and to keep those habitats free from harmful insecticides.

            To follow this spring’s migration, visit maps.journeynorth.org. Monarchs have made it into Texas as of this writing on 3/20.

 

SNAs Anniversary

            This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program, the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. 

            The Wisconsin Legislature created the State Natural Areas Program in November 1951 to protect the best examples of Wisconsin's native natural communities.

            The DNR, in collaboration with over 60 partners, cares for nearly 700 sites that protect outstanding examples of Wisconsin's native landscape of natural communities, significant geological formations and archeological sites. 

            More than 230 animal and plant species are listed as endangered or threatened in Wisconsin. Over 90% of those listed plant species and 75% of the listed wildlife species are found within state natural areas.

            Nearly all state natural areas are open to the public for hiking, hunting, bird-watching, nature study and photography, but most are largely undeveloped. 

            Vilas County leads the state with 33 SNAs, followed by Door County with 29, and Bayfield County with 28.

 

Celestial Events

            April’s full moon occurs on the 1^st, and is aptly referred to by various tribal nations as the Awakening Moon, Grass Appearing, or Maple Sugar Moon. 

            We’re up to 13 hours of sunlight as of 4/5.

            For April planet watching, look after dusk for Venus low in the northwest and Jupiter in the west. Before dawn, Mercury can be seen very low in the East, Mars also very low in the southeast, and Saturn rising in the east. 

 

Thought for the Week

            “I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” - Jack London

 

 

A Northwoods Almanac for March 13-26

 A Northwoods Almanac for March 13-26, 2026 

 

Sightings - Golden-crowned Kinglet 

            Mary and I were snowshoeing near dusk a few weeks back when I leaned against a decaying red pine with lots of large and small holes in it, and a golden-crowned kinglet flew out from just under my arm and landed on a nearby branch. It was obviously roosting for the evening in one of the holes, and I disturbed it.

            Bernd Heinrich in his book Winter World wrote several chapters on the extraordinary lengths that golden-crowned kinglets go to survive a northern winter. To begin with, they are the smallest songbird of all that winters in our Northwoods, and the second smallest in the summer, only out-smalled by ruby-throated hummingbirds. Golden-crowned kinglets weigh all of 5 grams, which is about a fifth of an ounce, or two pennies worth, and stretched out they may reach four inches in length. Heinrich says they own the title of the world’s smallest perching songbird (hummingbirds are not considered songbirds). Their size matters in winter, because the smaller the animal, the proportionately larger is the surface mass, leading to the greater loss of heat.

            Toss in the fact that they maintain their body temperature at 109° to 111°F (43 to 44°C), some 5°F (3°C) higher than most birds. That means they have to burn more calories in winter to stay warm (BTW, their body temperature would cause most of us to die of heat stroke).

            Nevertheless, few birds can out-tough them - they can survive down to minus 40 degrees F. Add in the fact that Heinrich found tiny geometrid (“inchworm”) caterpillars comprised the bulk of the kinglet’s diet, which are truly few in number, tiny, and difficult to find. Heinrich observed that kinglets feed incessantly, all day long, foraging tirelessly and averaging 45 short “hop-flights” per minute. 

            Our winter nights can reach -30°F and last 15 hours, so it would seem that their survival would be an impossible task. One research team measured the amount of fat the kinglets put on during the day, and while proportionately it was very high compared to other birds, they calculated that the kinglets would need twice the calories in their fat reserves to last the night.           Heinrich thinks they may go into torpor overnight to lessen their calorie loss, but that’s not proven. He then took some of his students and tracked birds at dusk to see what they did at night, and they found that the tiny birds may conserve energy by huddling together in small

groups, and that the birds may roost together sometimes in miniature snow caves on evergreen branches, thereby benefitting from the snow’s insulating properties.

            Even utilizing all their behavior and physical adaptations, Heinrich writes, “[Their survival] defies physics and physiology. We don’t know for sure how they do it.”

 

Beaver Lodge and Safe Ice - A Cautionary Tale

            I was walking along a frozen lakeshore a few weeks ago when I came upon what appeared to be a relatively modest “hump” of snow. Our dog walked up on top of it, and as I was standing there, I thought, “This looks like a new beaver lodge. I better go around it on shore.” As that realization dawned on me, the ice under my feet immediately gave way, and I was plunged into water up to my chest.

            A few shocked swear words later, I was able to pull myself up onto shore, but I was soaked. Fortunately, I was only 300 yards or so from my car, so I sloshed my way through the snow and was in the car and home stripping off my “not yet frozen but getting there” clothes a few minutes later.

            I know not to walk on ice around a beaver lodge. I just didn’t recognize it as a lodge right away, and I paid the price. Fair warning - because beavers swim out daily under the ice and collect branches from their winter cache to eat in their lodge, the ice around the lodge is often thin.

 

Moose in Wisconsin and the U.P.

            In northern Wisconsin, moose remain a true rarity with perhaps a few breeding pairs among an estimated 20+ total individuals. For decades, Moose have not been recognized by the DNR as a resident species in Wisconsin, thus limiting any formal research into their current status. However, the Wisconsin DNR and Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI) recently said they intend to update the state rank for moose from SNA (Status Not Assessed) to SU (Status Uncertain) reflecting the recognition that moose are here and part of Wisconsin’s native fauna.

            In the DNR’s stead, an Iron County resident, Amanda Griggs, began many years ago conducting moose surveys on her own in our area. She founded “Hidden Moose of Wisconsin,” a long-term research project trying to uncover and document Wisconsin’s moose population (see hiddenmoosewisconsin.wixsite.com). As a volunteer, she’s deployed dozens of trail cameras and is actively investigating a host of questions about moose in northern Wisconsin.  

            The moose story is quite different in the U.P. of Michigan. In the mid-1980s, the Michigan DNR translocated 59 moose from Algonquin Provincial Park to Marquette County. The goal was to establish a self-sustaining population in the U.P. of 1,000 moose by the year 2000.

            All the translocated moose were fitted with radio collars to track survival and movement, and though there were some natural losses, the population grew steadily from the late 1980s through 2007. 

            But data from over the last 16 years obtained via aerial population surveys shows that their annual growth has slowed to less than 1%.

            In the most recent moose survey conducted by the DNR in January 2023, an estimated 426 moose were counted in the western Upper Peninsula (the remainder of the U.P. is not systematically surveyed).

            In February of this year (2026),  a cooperative team from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Northern Michigan University captured and collared 41 new moose and additionally recollared two of last year's yearlings.             With these additions, researchers now have 56 active GPS collars deployed across the population with the intent to understand why moose numbers in the western Upper Peninsula have remained relatively stagnant. 

            So, the question always arises as to why there are so few moose in Wisconsin when there are so many in the U.P. In 1989, the Wisconsin State Legislature directed the DNR to investigate the feasibility of reintroducing elk, moose, and caribou. The resulting report, published in 1990, evaluated whether Wisconsin could realistically support these species again, and came back saying an elk reintroduction could likely succeed, but that moose and caribou would face significant challenges. 

            The report identified several limiting factors for moose, including ecological pressures from high white-tailed deer densities which result in presence of brainworm, a fatal parasitic nematode for moose that is carried by deer (in Minnesota’s moose population, for instance, brainworm causes between 25% and 45% of adult moose deaths).

            As a result of that assessment, Wisconsin chose to begin reintroducing elk near Clam Lake in 1995, but declined to introduce moose.

            Would moose do well in northern Wisconsin if reintroduced? The 1990 report suggested we don’t have the specific mix of habitats that moose favor. Frankly, I question that - moose occupied the northern half of the state prior to settlement - so, the habitat was adequate then, and should be so today. But I do agree that brainworm from our too high whitetail deer population is now and will continue to be a limiting factor, as are our warming winters.

            It’s difficult to answer the question whether moose could be reintroduced into northern Wisconsin and survive. Climate change likely dooms them in the long run. In the meantime, keep an eye on Griggs’ website to see what she comes up with.

 

Canada Jay Nesting

            Speaking of warm winters impacting moose, they are also impacting the nesting population of Canada jays in our area. I’ve coordinated the Manitowish Waters Christmas Bird Count since 1993, and up until 2011, we always had multiple sightings of Canada jays. In fact, we counted 13 individuals in 1994 in our count circle and 10 in 1998.

            But, we’ve not seen any during our counts since 2011 - 14 years running now. 

            Why? Well, that requires us to understand their breeding strategy. Canada jays mate and lay their eggs in late February into early March, rearing a family of young jays by mid-March, an extraordinarily early timing requiring large amounts of high energy food. Why they raise their chicks so early in the year, with heavy snow around them and deep cold often well below zero, is a mystery, but they are only able to do it because of all the food they cached in the fall. 

            Canada jays cache insects, berries, mushrooms, and strips of flesh they’ve pulled from carcasses, sometimes caching up to 50 pounds per bird. They coat the food items with their sticky saliva - the stickiest saliva of any North American bird - making a little package that they jam in amongst spruce needles, in a tree crevice, a broken-off stump, or under loose bark, and then they somehow recall where to find it months later in the dead of winter.

            They are “scatter-hoarders,” and as one writer says, Canada jays “have a memory like a Vegas card counter.” They create thousands of food caches, by some estimates up to 8,000, and somehow remember where to retrieve some 80 percent of those morsels.

            So why are their numbers declining in our area? Because winters are warming in northern Wisconsin, and a January or February extended warm spell thaws out the frozen food caches, spoiling the food and leaving nothing to feed the chicks. 

            We’re at the southernmost edge of their range as it is, so any warming impacts their nesting success. Thus, Canada jays have been moving further north where winters are more consistently cold. 

 

Celestial Events - Spring Equinox

            Hooray for March 20, the official day marking the spring (vernal) equinox - our days are now longer than our nights!

 

Climate Stats

            2025 was Earth’s third-warmest year since records began in 1850. Global average temperatures in 2025 were 2.4°F (1.3°C) above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels.

            The planet is rapidly approaching warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial averages, a number scientists believe is a threshold for much greater risks to lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems.

            Global coastal sea level was recently measured to be on average around 1 foot higher than assumed, according to a recent report in the journal Nature, with some places - such as Southeast Asia and parts of the Pacific - reaching up to 3 feet higher.

 

Thought for the Week

            “To travel well within your neighborhood is the greatest of journeys.” - attributed to Samuel Johnson