A Northwoods Almanac for 4/16/21

 A Northwoods Almanac for 4/16-29, 2021  by John Bates

 

World’s Oldest Known Loons Again Return to Seney National Wildlife Refuge

            The two oldest documented common loons in North America, named ABJ and Fe (“Fay”), separately returned on 4/8 from their oceanic wintering grounds to their long-term breeding territory on Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ABJ was banded as a Seney chick in 1987, so his age is known precisely: He will turn 34 this June. 

            His partner Fe’s age is less clear. She was first color-marked in 1990 as a successful Seney mother, but it’s impossible to age an adult loon. So, given that the youngest age of verified common loon reproduction is four, Fe will be turning at least 35 this season, but she certainly could be older. 

            While other banded adults have reached their late twenties, it’s even more remarkable that among thousands of color-marked loons across northern North America, the oldest two are not only paired together, but have been so for a record 25 consecutive years.

            Staying together that long in the intensely territorial world of loons is really phenomenal. While loons can mate for life, it’s a rarity. Nearly daily territorial fights take place on northern lakes between young loons seeking to usurp a territory and the defending territorial pair. Loons of either gender often get evicted from a territory by an invading younger loon, and when that happens, the usurped loon moves to a non-territorial lake nearby and soon after begins to look for a new territory and mate, which may require he or she to usurp another loon’s territory. Meanwhile, the loon whose mate dies or is evicted readily establishes a new pair-bond with the conquering loon. 

            So, loons are married to their territories, not to their mates. And since loons are long-lived and constantly threatened by younger interlopers, most loons end up having multiple mates during their lifetime. 

            Thus, 25 years of monogamy in the loon world is unprecedented. Think of it this way. In the human world, while we celebrate silver anniversaries at the 25-year mark, each partner in the marriage isn’t under daily physical hand-to-hand combat with an intruder trying to drive them from their home during the spring and summer. That would make 25 years together special indeed!

            So, let’s hope that ABJ and Fe can successfully repel all attacks this spring and settle in for one month of incubation of one or two eggs. Any chicks that ultimately emerge will extend the pair’s other record – they’ve hatched 32 offspring over those 25 years. 

            Visitors to Seney can observe ABJ and Fe on the first body of water along the Marshland Auto Drive in the F Pool. ABJ displays the very faded red over green plastic colorbands that were affixed during nighttime capture in 1996. 

            If you’re not familiar with the 95,238-acre Seney National Wildlife Refuge, it was established in 1935 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. It’s been a massive restoration effort because the land was once heavily logged, burned, ditched, drained and cultivated. Nothing worked for human settlement, however, so our entrepreneurial loss became a huge gain for wildlife. The refuge also contains the Strangmoor Bog National Natural Landmark and the renowned Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, a Globally Important Bird Area for birds migrating between the US and Canada. 

 

Frogs!

            Our nearly 70° days in early April led to not only ice-off on most of our lakes, but also to the emergence of spring peepers, wood frogs, and chorus frogs on our many ephemeral woodland ponds. The male singing that has ensued is a flamboyant and boisterous pandemonium that, despite the April (and even May) snowstorms that we may yet see, proclaims that SPRING IS HERE. 

            All three of these species had to emerge from being encased in ice underground for weeks to months. Two-thirds of their bodies were completely frozen during this time, and they no longer breathed, circulated blood, or had a detectable heartbeat. However, within thirty minutes of thawing out this spring, their heart began to beat and they came back to life. After two days, they headed to the ponds to sing and mate, which given all they’ve been through, gives them license to be as loud as they want to be.

            And consider this positive side-effect of the Covid pandemic: Wood frogs are often joined by spring peepers and spotted salamanders in migrating to their breeding pools during rainy nights in early April, which on back roads works fine. But on busy roads, road mortality can be as high as 100% during the one night of the season that most migration takes place.

One study showed an average mortality of 20 percent of amphibians at any road crossing in a given year.

            But last year, with far fewer vehicles on the road because of the pandemic, twice as many frogs and salamanders survived the journey. In fact, one study (https://www.ecori.org/natural-resources/2020/7/21/pandemic-lockdown-spared-millions-of-animals-from-roadway-deaths) found that pandemic lockdowns last year spared millions of animals from roadway deaths.

 

FOYS (First-of-the-Years)

            Let’s start with ice-off. Woody Hagge has collected 49 years of ice data on Foster Lake in Hazelhurst, and this year the ice went off on March 30^th. Woody wrote, “Foster went from 75’ to 100’ of open water yesterday morning along the north shore to ice-out this afternoon – all because of strong NW winds (30+ mph). This is the 5th time in 49 years Foster went out in March, and the 4th time in the last 15 years. Throw in 3 May ice-out dates in the last 9 years, and I’m not sure what to make of the data.” 

            Indeed, the last decade has been a roller coaster of spring extremes, which is congruent with what scientists keep telling us about climate change – it brings on extreme events.

            Woody’s average ice-out date is 4/16, so this was 18 days early. The average number of open water days on Foster Lake is 224. 

            Now to wildlife firsts-of-the-years:

3/31: Purple finches returned to our feeders in Manitowish.

4/1: We saw our first yellow-rumped warblers, one of which perched nicely on one of our porch railings for our viewing.

4/3: Mary spotted our first mourning cloak butterfly.

Mourning cloak butterfly, photo by Mary Burns

4/4: We heard our first chorus frogs.

4/5: Spring peepers began chorusing in the woodlands across the river from us. We saw our first kingfisher of the year. And on a walk at Powell Marsh, we saw our first American wigeons, northern pintails, blue-winged teals, green-winged teals, and sandhill cranes.

            Bruce Bacon, master bird bander, banded 80 dark-eyed juncos and 60 common redpolls at his house just north of Mercer. He said he could have banded more juncos, but only put up one net because he was catching them so fast. Juncos are everywhere right now!

dark-eyed junco, photo by Bev Engstrom

4/6: Out on Powell Marsh again, we saw our first redhead ducks. Fox sparrows and an Eastern phoebe returned to Manitowish.

4/6: Bob Kovar reported a loon had returned to Wild Rice Lake in Manitowish Waters – the ice went off the day before.

4/7: Pat Schmidt on Silver Lake in Hazelhurst reported her loon pair had returned, though the ice on the lake had gone off on 4/1. Since loons typically return on the same day as ice-out, it seems to me that many loons were taken by surprise by the early ice-off and simply weren’t scouting their territorial lakes this early. 

            Mary spotted our first northern flicker in Manitowish.

            Jennifer and Joe Heitz observed FOY tree swallows on Ballard Lake.

4/10: I heard my first snipe winnowing over our house. On a walk with Bob Kovar along Wild Rice Lake, I saw and heard numerous golden-crowned kinglets, and saw my first yellow-bellied sapsucker.

            And that evening before midnight, a very large – and I mean very large – black bear tore down our bird feeders. We came down and found it sprawled on our deck eating sunflower seeds and suet. No one to date has contacted me to say that a bear had hammered their feeders, and I was wondering when I’d finally hear from someone. No need to wonder anymore.

 

Salmonella Outbreak at Bird Feeders

            This is the time of year when salmonella occasionally occurs in people’s bird feeders. Bird symptoms include diarrhea, ruffled feathers (a “puffed-up” appearance), and lethargy. Birds who are showing symptoms usually die in 1 to 3 days.

            But there are dangers for humans as well. A recent salmonella outbreak at bird feeders has caused at least 19 people in eight states to be infected with salmonella due to contact with wild birds or bird feeders. The outbreak mostly affected pine siskins, goldfinches, and other feeder birds.

            The CDC encourages the following steps to prevent salmonellosis:

1-    Always wash your hands right after touching a bird feeder, bird bath, or after handling a bird – even if you wore gloves.

2-    Keep pets away from bird feeders and bird baths and the areas under them.

3-    Clean bird feeders outside with a 10% bleach solution.

4-    If you find a sick or dead bird, call the DNR or a wildlife rehabilitator, and remove any bird feeders and baths for two weeks.

                        

Celestial Events

            Look tonight and tomorrow night for Mars just above the waxing crescent moon. 

            The average low temperature in Minocqua reaches 32° for the first time since 10/25. Minocqua averages 182 days with low temperatures above freezing – almost exactly half of the year.

            The Lyrid meteor shower peaks in the predawn of 4/22 – look for 10 to 20 per hour.

            The full moon (the “Maple Sugar Moon”) occurs on 4/26. 

 

Thought for the Week

            Earth Day is April 22. What to do? Pone simple thing: pay attention to the world around you. Because . . . Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity . . . Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love. – Simone Weil

 

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.

 

A Northwoods Almanac for April 2, 2021

 A Northwoods Almanac for April 2 – 15, 2021  

Sightings – FOYs (First-of-the-Year) 

3/16: Our first dark-eyed juncos appeared in Manitowish.

3/17: The Manitowish River opened below our house, an early opening. 

3/20: We saw a northern shrike near Powell Marsh.

3/21: Mary Jo Oyer sent me this note: “I looked out the window and noticed this ermine. Cute but quite the hunter. The other day we watched as it chased a red squirrel to the very top of a tree that had to be 50-60 ft. high. The squirrel got as far as the top branch, hung out, then jumped to the ground! The ermine went down the tree and chased it back up at least 3 more times. One of those times when the squirrel jumped out of the tree, it ricocheted off of a tree next to it before hitting the ground. It must have gotten stunned because it was MIA for 5 minutes. Then it woke up and ran up another tree just as tall. The ermine chased after it and got it by the tail midway up the tree. The squirrel broke free and again scurried up to the top, then jumped all the way to the ground. This time it tried to run away through the snow but the ermine got it and took it behind our woodpile. I read that ermines need to eat about every 3 hours and eat about 28 grams each time.”  

Ermine, photo by Mary Jo Oyer

3/23: Mary heard our first winter wren on 3/23, our first cowbird appeared in Manitowish, and a northern shrike struck terror in the songbirds at our feeders. It was a warm day so I, along with good friend Bob Kovar, paddled a stretch of the Manitowish River, our first paddle of the year. Birds were sparse, but we did kick-up mallards, hooded mergansers, and wood ducks along the way. More importantly, it was glorious to once again be on the river.

Wood ducks, photo by Bev Engstrom

3/24: Several tree sparrows arrived in Manitowish along with a larger flock of juncos, while a pair of chipmunks scoured up sunflower seeds under our feeders for the first time since late October.

3/25: A fox sparrow and an American woodcock appeared in Manitowish. 

3-25: Ed Marshall in Lad du Flambeau sent me this note: “About 10:30 this morning, about 25-30 common redpolls were feeding on the ground. Suddenly a songbird-type about the size of a robin appeared. Gray above, white below, dark eyeline, black on wings and tail, and with a mean looking little sharp beak! The redpolls burst into flight and headed for the deep woods with the northern shrike (I’m sure) in hot pursuit. It was the best look I’ve ever had of one. I also saw my first robin of the year.”

Northern shrike, photo by Bev Engstrom

3/28: A dozen common redpolls reappeared at our feeders after 6 weeks of absence – where had they gone? We also saw our first northern harrier hunting the Manitowish River edge that same day.

3/30: Though I had seen robins earlier, this was the first morning robins were singing in our yard, a song we should now hear every morning until late summer. Hooray!

What’s in a Name?

            I mentioned in a previous column that I am writing a book on the last wild lakes of northern Wisconsin, and that I was trying to find the origins of both their Native American and their European names. Why? Because names carry deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. They give us a sense of who we were and are today, and the communities in which we belong. They give things meaning. 

            The Native American names for lakes (and all places) are important because history books often embrace European names as “our” history without acknowledging that there are other narratives, and other names, that came before. 

            In the foreword to the book, Gidakiiminaan (Our Earth): An Anishinaabe Atlas of the 1836 (Upper Michigan), 1837, and 1842 Treaty Ceded Territories, it says, “ . . . it could be correctly stated that the entire essence of their cultures (Anishinaabe) is based upon a notion of geographic place which embodies their human origin, historical identity, and the way they conceive their cultural reality in the modern world. As distinguished from traditional European thinking, the general Indian (Anishinaabe) orientation is more toward space than toward time. Commonality of place, as much as of past, defines an Indian (Anishinaabe) tribe. Thus the importance of a particular geographic spot can no more be moved to a different location than the importance in European history of a particular event can be moved to a different time.” (Charles Cleland: Professor and Curator of Anthropology, Michigan State University). 

            Names tell stories of places. And, of course, those stories aren’t limited to the Native Americans. Place names hold echoes of French culture, and Dutch, and German, and all those who settled here in the last 173 years since statehood. 

            “Names are magic,” wrote Walt Whitman. “One word can pour such a flood through the soul.”

            Ask yourself why the Vietnam Memorial so powerfully evokes emotions when it’s just a wall with names on it? 

            Consider also that as of 3/28,  the United States death toll from COVID-19 was 562,150. That’s 562,150 names.

            In the book The Crucible, John Proctor wrestles over whether to sign his name to a confession of witchcraft and save himself from the gallows. He replies: “I have given you my soul, leave me my name . . . Because it is my name. Because I cannot have another in my life.”

            So, names matter, whether for people or places. 

            In my search for lake names, I’ve found quite a number of lakes whose European names have been taken directly from the definition of the Ojibwe names:

            Clear Lake in Manitowish Waters is Gaa-waaseyaagamig-zaaga’igan – “water so clear you can see through it.”

            Fence Lake in Lac du Flambeau is Mashkanaakobijigani-zaaga’igan. The root word, mashkanaakobijigan, means “a kind of brush or wooden fence constructed to enclose deer driven into it.” Fence Lake was “named for the fences that Indian hunters built out of brush to corral deer as they migrated south for the winter” (Gilbert J. Champan, in Memories of Lac du Flambeau Elders). 

            Thunder Lake near Three Lakes is Animikiiwi-zaaga’igan – “thunderbird lake.”

            Pine Lake north of Mercer is Zhingwaako- zaaga’igan – “place of the pines lake.”

            Lac Vieux Desert is French for “the old clearing,” or Doty gave it as “Old Plantation.”

 In Ojibwe, it’s Gete-gitigaaning-zaaga’igan – “lake of the ancient garden.”

            Trout Lake is Namegosikaa-zaaga’igan –  meaning  just that, “trout lake.”

            Other lake names were changed. Ike Walton Lake near Lac du Flambeau is Mashkiigwaagamaa-zaaga’igan – “swamp marsh water lake.” The Ojibwe name clearly refers to how shallow most of the lake is (mean depth 10’), whereas Ike Walton was a famed outdoorsman, author, and the namesake for the Izaak Walton League, a major conservation organization.

            Lake Owen near Drummond is Gaa-ginoogamaag-zaaga’igan – “long water lake.” Owen was an early geologist exploring the Northwoods in the 1800s.

            Still other lakes have simply been Anglicized: 

            Wabasso Lake is Waaboozo-zaaga’igan - “rabbit lake.”

            Wabigon Lake near Drummond is Waabigwan-zaaga’igan – “white flowers lake.”

            Shishebogama Lake is Zhiishibaagamaa – “lake with arms extending in all directions.”

            Lake Minocqua is Minwaakwaa-zaaga’igan – “heavenly place with a good stand of trees.” 

            Manitowish Lake is Manidoowiish-zaaga’igan – “little spirit [small animals] lake.”

            Given that the Ojibwe (the Anishinaabe people) migrated into the Upper Midwest sometime in the late 1500s to 1600s from northeastern North America, there had to have been names given to these lakes prior to the Ojibwe names, but these are likely lost. Perhaps they were similar, but the native people then may have seen or felt something different and given them another descriptor. Who knows? One way or another, we’re called to know the origins of place names, and to honor them by speaking them.

 

Sandhill Crane Count on 4/17

            Sandhill cranes have begun returning to our area - Mark Westphal observed one on Powell Marsh nearly two weeks ago – which means the annual Midwest crane count is soon. Mary and I have participated in the count for well over three decades, and we’re looking forward, as always, to this year’s. We paddle a section of the Manitowish River every year, and we always have a good story or two to tell after the count.

            The annual Midwest survey of sandhill and whooping cranes now spans over 90 counties in seven states. The count began in 1976, but didn’t expand into most of Wisconsin until 1985. Currently, more than 2,500 volunteer counters participate each year. 

            You needn’t be an expert on cranes to participate in the count. Mostly you just have to be adventuresome enough to get up very early and then sit at a given site before dawn no matter the weather!

            If you have an interest in participating in the 4/17 count in Iron County, call Annie at the North Lakeland Discovery Center – 715-543-2085. For Vilas County, call Sarah at 215-850-6007. For Oneida County, call Bob and Jan at 715-401-3214. If you live in other counties, see www.savingcranes.com for a full listing of other county coordinators.

                        

Celestial Events

            For planet-viewing in April, look after dusk for Mars in the west. Toward the end of the month, look for Venus low in the WNW. 

            Before dawn, look for Jupiter and Saturn both in the SE.

            On 4/4, we hit 13 hours of daylight.

            On 4/6, look before dawn for Saturn about 4° north of the waning crescent moon. The following morning, 4/7, look for Jupiter in the same place, about 4° north of the moon.

            The new moon occurs on 4/11.

 

Thought for the Week

            “There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.” ~ Linda Hogan

 

A Northwoods Almanac for 3/19 – 4/1/21

 A Northwoods Almanac for 3/19 – 4/1/21  

 

Spring Is Coming and Lakes Are Booming

            Bob Kovar lives on Wild Rice Lake in Manitowish Waters and wrote this on 3/11: “The lake looked different at first light this morning, more dark than white, something big was going on. When I stepped outside, I heard the sound of rolling thunder in the distance. You know that sound – the constant rumbling of a big storm approaching, the occasional louder boom punctuating the din of the ceaseless, uninterrupted rumbling as it gets closer. Down on the shoreline, I realized I was hearing the seismic rumble of the entire ice pack on the lake breaking up. It was loudly re-locating, cracking and shifting as this morning’s wind pushed hard against it, causing a lake quake measuring a magnitude 9.0 on the Bob scale. I’ve not heard the lake have this much to say in quite some time. I’ve always been told we have two ears and only one mouth because we are supposed to listen twice as much as we speak. So I settled myself in on a patch of ground, waited for the sun to rise, and listened.”

 

Common Loon Decline

            I recently listened to a talk given by Dr. Walter Piper on the reproductive decline in Wisconsin loons. Piper has been studying loons since 1993 on over 200 lakes, nearly all in Oneida County, and in his most recent analysis, he’s found some very disturbing trends. Here are the highlights (or lowlights):

-       Regarding loon chicks, there’s been a slight loss of chicks less than 5 weeks old.

-       For chicks older than 5 weeks, however, the rate of loss has increased by 82% since 1993. The annual loss is now 5.6% compared to 2.9%.

-       Two chick broods are now declining at a rate of 3.4% annually. From 1993-98, 47% of loon pairs had 2-chick broods. In recent years, only 27% had 2-chick broods.

-       Chicks are lighter, and less robust – an 11% decline since 1998.

-       Floaters, those adult loons between 3 and 6 years old who don’t have territories, have dramatically declined since the 1990s. Nearly 40% used to return after their migration as juveniles to the Gulf of Mexico, but now only 15% return.

-       The overall population of loons in Piper’s study area is declining at a rate of 6% annually. 

            The question, among many, is whether this is a international, national or local trend. This is the most closely monitored population in the U.S. The second most monitored population is in Ontario, and their population is in decline as well.

            The reasons for the decline? No one knows for sure, but the possible list is long: red tides in their Florida wintering grounds, climate change, lead consumption, eagle competition, a fisheries issue on breeding lakes, black flies, recreational impacts, and periodic die-offs from botulism on Great Lakes staging grounds (thousands of loons died from 2006 – 2012 from toxicity on the Great Lakes).

            No species is more iconic to the Northwoods than common loons, so their decline is an issue of great concern. I’m very thankful for dedicated researchers who forewarn us of such things so that we have a chance to react. The question now is what specifically needs to be done.

 

First-of-the-Year Sightings

            March marks the beginning of birds migrating back into the Northwoods, and we always are excited to record our “first-of-the-year” (FOY) sightings. The first two weeks of March have been mild, contributing to a very significant snowmelt in open areas. As the ground bares itself, a few “early” songbird species respond by heading north, despite their DNA telling them it’s likely a fool’s errand. Our usual FOYs arrive around spring equinox, but this year on 3/11, we already had common grackles, European starlings, and red-winged blackbirds return to our property on the Manitowish River, and I heard a robin that same day as well. 

            Some of our overwintering bird species mate and nest very early, too. We heard a great horned owl hooting across the river from our house on 3/8. Great horned owls are one of our earliest nesting species and should be on their nests by now, well along in incubating their eggs.

            And on 3/9, Mary picked just the right moment to watch a pair of eagles mating on their nest across the river from our house.

            Canada geese flew over our house on 3/10. Trumpeter swans are returning, at least those that migrated (a hardy cadre of trumpeters remain the winter on the Manitowish River). Sandhill cranes are due back any day as are great blue herons. A host of waterfowl will arrive as soon as open water beckons. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see the first pioneering killdeer and tree swallows arrive this week. 

            Birds are only part of the early spring story. We watched a pair of red squirrels mating in our back yard on 3/8, while Pat Schwai spotted a chipmunk under her feeders on 3/11. I’m waiting for someone to call me with a sighting of black bears – I would bet many are on the move already, and then it’s time to bring your bird feeders in at night.

 

Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Hearings Advisory Questions

            The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and the WDNR will again hold the annual Spring Hearings online due to Covid. The hearings will open on April 12 at 7 p.m. and will remain open for 72 hours. The public can provide input on proposed rule changes via the online website. The WCC received a record-setting 64,943 responses to the 2020 Spring Hearing Questionnaire, so join in to make your voice heard.

            The Spring Hearings ask a very wide range of natural resource-related advisory questions. For instance, there’s this question on supporting the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act: “Should the Wisconsin Conservation Congress endorse and encourage the U.S. Congress to enact carbon fee and dividend legislation with the intent of reducing CO2 emissions, benefitting conservation, and stimulating technological innovation and economic growth through revenue recycling?”

            Along other environmental lines is a question regarding the Enbridge Line 5 crude oil pipeline that runs under the 5-mile-long Mackinac bridge. The pipeline has already spilled over 1.1 million gallons of oil in 33 incidents. Another study described the Straits of Mackinac as “the worst possible place for an oil spill in the Great Lakes” because the Great Lakes are the source of drinking water for more than 1.6 million Wisconsin residents alone. 

            One questions asks: “Do you support WCC opposition to construction of a new 42-mile segment of the Enbridge Line 5 crude oil pipeline in Ashland and Iron Counties to replace the existing portion of the Line 5 pipeline that bisects the Reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa?” A second asks: “Do you support WCC opposition to issuance of any permits for the Line 5 project by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at the conclusion of its EIS process?”

            One other environmental question regards protecting our rivers and lakes: “Would you support legislation to require perennial native species vegetative buffers of 50 feet along rivers and streams and 16.5 feet along ditches not covered by local zoning ordinances under Wisconsin’s Shoreland Management Program in NR 115?” 

            On the other side of the coin, there’s this one, which has repercussions for our area and rightfully already failed twice in previous years: “Would you support legalizing the harvest of white (not albino) deer statewide?”

            First off, there’s no way a hunter can determine from a distance whether a white deer is albino or not. According to geneticists, you need a genetic test to confirm albinism because of the many forms it can take, and somehow I don’t think hunters can administer the test prior to taking a shot.

            Further, the description in the questionnaire wrongly states that albino deer are “completely white with eyes, nose and other soft parts being pink.” In writing the text for Jeff Richter’s book White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest, I contacted Dr. William Oetting at the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Minnesota to determine if our local white deer were indeed albinos. I sent him close-up pictures of two of the deer that have blue-green eyes, and through a series of correspondences, he concluded, “Without confirming this with molecular testing, both of these deer have tyrosinase negative oculocutaneous albinism. There is a lack of pigment in the hair, skin and eyes of both deer. A close-up of the eye of the yearling shows a lack of pigment in the iris (green-blue).”

            In addition to Dr. Oetting’s statement about eye color (albinos can have green-blue eyes), the literature on albinism clearly states that there are different kinds of albinism, and that some albinos may show some color in their irises – often a light blue or gray.

            The questionnaire goes on to say, “In the wild, white fur and markings place these animals at a selective disadvantage because they lack the typical protective coloration and are more visible, making them more susceptible to predators.” My response to this endlessly repeated assertion is that if they were at a selective disadvantage, they wouldn’t have survived in the wild for the last 10,000 years. Not to mention that we have 5 months of white winter here, where they are obviously at a selective advantage, not a disadvantage.

            One last statement on this that needs to be addressed: “From a strictly biological perspective, there is no reason to protect white deer.” That’s true. It’s also true, however, that from a strictly biological perspective, there’s no reason to hunt white deer either.  

            To see the entire questionnaire, go to:

https://widnr.widen.net/view/pdf/frop1w9xkk/WCC_SpringHearingQuestions_2021.pdf?t.download=true  

 

Correction

            Isle Royale is in Michigan, not Minnesota, as I mistakenly wrote in my last column.

 

Celestial Events

            On 3/19, look after dusk for Mars about 2° north of the waxing crescent moon. 

            The Vernal Equinox occurs officially on 3/20.

            The full moon – the Maple Sugar/Crust on Snow Moon – shines bright on 3/28.

            

Thought for the Week

            “This simple technique of awareness had long been my way to open a conversation with any unfamiliar landscape. Who are you? I would ask. How do I say your name? May I sit down? Should I go now? Over the years I’d found this way of approaching whatever was new to me consistently useful: establish mutual trust, become vulnerable to the place, then hope for some reciprocity and perhaps even intimacy.” – Barry Lopez

 

 

A Northwoods Almanac for 3/5-18/21

 A Northwoods Almanac for 3/5-18/21  

 

The History of Lake Names

            I’ve been working for a few years now on a book describing the last undeveloped, wild lakes of northern Wisconsin, and one of the both fun and frustrating aspects of the book has been my attempt to find out the history of these lake names. There are books on the history of place names in Wisconsin (Place Names of Wisconsin by Edward Callary and The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names by Robert Gard), but I’ll be darned if I can find a source for the history of lake names. 

            I have learned a few histories. For instance, Pat Shay Lake in Forest County was named for Patsy Shay, a local surveyor. Frank Lake in Vilas County was named for Frank Long, a state forest ranger and game warden from 1911 until his death in 1937 while on duty on snowshoes in the Star Lake Area (so reads a brass plaque bolted into a boulder on the lake). Star Lake was named for Bob Star, a surveyor, and his brother Harry, a pile driver who was accidentally killed at the planing mill site on the lake (Bob’s Lake  to the northwest of Star Lake was given Bob Star’s first name because he had a cabin there). Salsich Lake derives its name from Hamilton Salsich, one of the co-owners of the saw mill and planing mill in Star Lake.

            Some information I have needs more details. A gentleman recently called and told me that Jean and Dorothy Dunn lakes in Vilas County were named after women who worked in nearby logging camps. But what logging camps, and why these women and not others?

            So, I’m reaching out for some help. Do you know the history of the lake names for any undeveloped, wild lakes in Wisconsin? Note that for the purposes of this book, if there’s development on a lake, I’m not looking for the history of that lake’s name – only an undeveloped lake. Note also that I obviously don’t need the history of lake names for places like Hemlock Lake, Mud Lake, Perch Lake, Moose Lake, Rice Lake, and many others that are named after some obvious wildlife, flora, or geological/soil feature (did you know we have 116 Mud Lakes, 82 Bass Lakes, and 59 Long Lakes in Wisconsin?).  However, some lakes named after a cultural or natural feature would be interesting to know more about – why “Two Axe Lake” in Sawyer County or “Luna Lake” in Forest County or “Camp Lake” in Vilas (what camp?). And some Native American names are escaping me – Totagatic Lake in Bayfield County and Allequash Lake in Vilas. I’d also love to include the original Native American names for each of these lakes, and I’m looking for a resource on that.

            Here’s a list of just a few of the wild lakes I’d love to know more about: In Vilas County, Benedict, Devine, Escanaba, Fallison, Nebish, Nixon, Pallette, Starrett, and Trilby. In Oneida County, Cunard, McNaughton, Sweeney, and Zottle. In Forest, Bastile, Laura, McKinley, Scott and Shelp, Riley, and Zarling. And in Florence, Grandma, Lauterman, and Savage.

            My contact information is at the end of this column – a thousand thanks for any help!

 

Update on Isle Royale Wolf Restoration

            You may remember a column I wrote in late 2019 concerning the debate and final decision regarding reintroducing wolves onto Isle Royale in Minnesota. In years past, there were up to 50 wolves in different packs on Isle Royale. Their interaction with moose has been the focus of the longest running predator-prey study in the world, now 62-years-long. For most of those years, the wolves were effective at moderating the island’s big moose population, but a combination of inbreeding, accidents and disease caused the wolves' numbers to dwindle to just two. The closely-related pair, an older male (M183) and a younger female wolf (F193) who was also his daughter and half-sister on their twisted family tree, were the only permanent wolves on the island for years before the fall of 2018 when the park service and its partners released 19 new wolves onto the island that had been trapped on tribal land in Minnesota, on Canada’s mainland and one of its islands. 

            By then, the moose population had grown exponentially to over 2,000, and their overbrowsing of vegetation was a huge concern to the park service. The only way to solve that was to bring back the predator balance.

            A year later in October of 2019, a National Park Service ranger came upon the body of M183 lying on his side on the trail. A necropsy would later show the wolf known had been attacked by other wolves. By the time of his death, M183 weighed only about 65 pounds, which made him about 20% underweight, and was 11 years old. The necropsy showed he had an age-related arthritic condition, osteoarthritis, in his back and feet that would have meant constant aches and pains. His teeth were also heavily worn and a few broken. In his prime, M183 would likely have weighed around 80 pounds, but now he was more like a 90-year-old man in human years. 

            Researchers believe his health had been slowly declining, because for several years when traveling with F193, his younger 9-year-old mate, he would often follow her, and when she stopped for a break, he’d lay down. 

            He and F193 were never radio-collared. She’s not been seen over the last year, and researchers suspect she might be dead, too. 

            The good news is that the Michigan Tech researchers located two wolf pups in their 2020 survey, the first wolf pups in numerous years to be born on Isle Royale, and a major step toward their recovery. 

            The survey indicates there are now up to 14 adult wolves on the island (several of the transplanted wolves have died), and an estimated 1,876 moose, about a 9% decrease in the moose count. For years, the moose population had seen a steady uptick of about 19% per year, so this decrease is good news, too. The decline is not only due to predation by the new wolves, but moose starvation. The researchers estimated about 100 moose starved to death in the spring of 2019. Moose have big appetites and their large population meant a decrease of their forage trees on the island, and thus starvation for them. 

            The wolf population is still in flux. One new wolf left the island for the Canadian mainland in early 2019 when a Polar Vortex created an ice bridge. And later that winter, researchers noted some new wolves had apparently walked across the ice bridge from the Minnesota or Canadian mainland and visited Isle Royale. 

            How the new wolves sort themselves out into packs and into defended territories is still taking place. They have yet to formalize true packs and are still building social bonds. 

“A wolf population is more than a collection of individual wolves. A wolf population is organized,” said John Vucetich, a Michigan Tech CFRES professor, and one of the lead researchers. “It has social structure that includes wolves associating closely with one another, being territorial and exhibiting courtship behavior. We observed those social interactions this winter [2019-20]. It’s exciting to see.” 

 

Seed Catalogues/What to Plant 

            It’s that time of year to put your garden daydreaming into a plan. For wildlife plantings, here are a few of our favorites (please remember to always plant native species):

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) to attract hummingbirds.

Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees 

Milkweeds [marsh milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)] all for monarchs.

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) for hummingbirds

Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis or others) for fruits that attract songbirds, and for you!

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) for fruits for songbirds and you.

Crabapple (Malus - various species) for winter birds

Dogwoods (Cornus florida, Cornus racemosa, Cornus sericea) for vireos, juncos, cardinals, etc.

Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) for robins, catbirds, cardinals, finches, thrushes, etc.

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) for robins, bluebirds, waxwings, etc.

            

Sightings

            It’s been a roller coaster of weather, but not that unusual for late February into March. Consider that red-winged blackbirds, starlings and robins typically begin returning around spring equinox, 3/20, and that will help get you through the tumult. As I write this on the last day of February, we just got 8 inches of snow, but most of the week will be above freezing. So, we’re entering the freeze/thaw anarchy of March, and all we can do is ride it out.

 

Celestial Events

            Planet watching in March: After dusk, only Mars is viewable – look in the southwest. Before dawn, look for Jupiter very low in the ESE, and Saturn low in the SE.

            We reach 11 ½ hours of daylight on 3/7 as we race toward spring equinox on 3/20. I should note that we actually hit 12 hours of daylight by 3/17, so we don’t have to wait for the equinox before we gain an equal day and night. March 18 marks the first time we’ll have more day than night since 9/24.

            Look before dawn on 3/9 for Saturn 4° north of the waning crescent moon. The following early morning, 3/10, look for Jupiter to have traded places and now also be 4° north of the crescent moon. The new moon occurs on 3/13.

            

Correction!

            I make lots of mistakes in my life, but I hate it when I make one where I know better and just write it wrong. Anyway, I wrote last column, “Our lowest lows typically fall between -20F and -30F, which puts us in zone 3. We used to be zone 4, which means our lows used to reach -30 to -40°.” Well, reverse that. Zone 3 is colder than zone 4. We used to be Zone 3, and now we’re in the warmer zone 4. My apologies. 

 

Leopold Week and Wisconsin Water Week

            The coming of spring in Wisconsin is celebrated by “Leopold Week” with events that depict the land ethic. This year Leopold Week runs from March 5-14. Check the Aldo Leopold Foundation for a list of speakers. And Wisconsin Water Week runs from March 8-12 – check https://wisconsinlakes.org/wisconsin-water-week/ for an excellent list of virtual talks.

 

Thought for the Week

William Blake: “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way… As a man is, so he sees.”