November 7, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

This is the last day of my water quality monitoring for this year.  Temperatures were cold both in the air and lake with the water around 42 degrees.  I didn't meet any fishermen on the lake other than the carp fisherman who were seining the East Basin where one of my sampling sites is, so I was unable to sample there today.

I was unable to sample the East Basin due to the presence of the carp fishermen.

October 22, 2014 Water Monitoring Report and Field Notes

The weather yesterday was nearly the opposite as October 8th when I conducted the last monitoring.  Driving through the countryside from Oshkosh to Lake Puckaway was a foggy business, but one for one or two miles did I feel the need to slow down to 45 mph due to low visibility.  When I arrived at the Lake about 8:00 am the shore was lightly foggy but the lake looked like a soup.  I put the navigation lights on the boat and decided to head out.

Not far in the lake visibility went down to 50ft, maybe even less.   I putted along at 4-6 mph and navigated by GPS, and occasionally stopped to listen for other boats.   There was no wind and the lake was completely still.  Every now and again I startled groups of 3 -6 Rudy Ducks, and the odd fish near the surface.  As I was about to Marquette the fog began to lift slightly and I could make out the shapes of the cane beds in Blue Bill Bay.  Even though my GPS is very good I kept well to the south of the dredge bank to avoid slamming into the rocks.  With the fog lifting the sun slowly appeared, and when very dim I could make out a few sunspots easily on the surface of the Sun.  I've since learned one of them, called AR 2192 is the size of Jupiter, and is the largest in years.  The appearance of the sun also created an odd light phenomenon in the form of a giant white lens.  Very interesting  phenomenon, that I have never seen before.

Sunspots

A little farther East the fog was showing more weakness and a slight break revealed the carp fishing boats waiting in the stillness to begin their days fishing.  Just as I arrived to the East shore the fog began to lift quickly.  I scared up a few ducks that took a wrong turn.  Bang, Bang!  Sorry ducks, your welcome hunters.

The bright sun, lighting up a section of the fog on Lake Puckaway.

The rest of the day the wind was calm to non-existent and and cloud cover was about 10%, and the sun that provided quite a show in the morning, kept me warm the rest of the day.  Surface temperatures of the lake were in the upper 40's, winter is coming.  Water clarity was pretty uniform throughout the lake, and much better then the 8th when the surf was up.

October 8, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

The lake was rocking and rolling with winds blasting past 30 mph.  It is very unusual that I go out during high winds and this was certainly the windiest I have ever ventured out on Lake Puckaway.  The waves make sampling and everything else much more difficult.  I am glad I got there though, it will be a good test to see how much phosphorus is kicked up from the wind during this events.  The wind created a constant flurry of cattail fluff, unfortunately about 99% will be from non-native invasive cattail species.

The carp fisherman were also out there braving the wind and waves, I can't say I envied them.  I heard there efforts paid off and there are getting a good haul of marketable fish.

There was a fair number of Rudy Ducks bobbing up and down in the water and some wood ducks hanging around at the mouth of the river.

Water clarity as measured with a Secchi disk.  The disk was still visible while
resting on the bottom at the Fox River Inlet.

September 25, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Fall is in the air.  Water was 64 degrees F.  Water clarity is close to normal for this time of year.  As the season winds down I'll have updates on this years projects.  Enjoy the nice weather forecast for the next several days.

Bulrushes planted in 2013 are thriving at the Eastern Dredge Bank

Wild Rice on the Dead River/Lake Puckaway

September 11, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

My body wasn't quite ready for the chilly weather of just under 50 degrees when I started out this morning.  Water was still relatively warm at 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  Although it is still late summer, fall is in the air.  Some of the leaves are turning yellow and many of the aquatic plants are starting to uproot.  

 

August 25, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Today's water quality monitoring followed early morning thunderstorms that downed a few trees and branches.  The temperature was forecast to be in the low 90's, but temperatures were only in the low 80's, with a water temperature of 77 degrees  This summer continues to be mild.

August 8, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Water clarity is relatively good for this time of year.  Even with calm weather last week algae blooms were not too bad for August.  The same could not be said for algae on Lake Poygan which had large clumps of algae floating on the surface in many places.

Water clarity on the Fox River in the Puckaway area improved upstream as usual for summer.  This year we are monitoring water quality on Buffalo Lake as well.  Unfortunately our monitoring sites are on bridges and we can't use Secchi disks from high vantage points, so we will only be able to use other parameters like Chlorophyll a and total phosphorous concentrations to make comparisons.  Still it will be very interesting to see the results when they come back from the lab.

July 23, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

The regular summer pattern continues with decreasing water clarity as water moves from inlet to outlet.  Surface water temperatures are approaching 80 degrees, and daytime dissolved oxygen levels are supersaturated.

July 13, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

We just can't seem to catch much of a break in terms of wind.  This seems to be one of the windiest Julys I can remember.  If the spray from the boat is going to hit me in the face, at least it is 73 degrees.  The wind and waves are sure keeping the bottom churned up too, but at the same time it keeps the algae from reproducing so much.

June 26, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Water clarity (secchi depth) is moderately good on the lake, and excellent on the Grand River where the disk was clearly visible on the bottom in 4.7 feet of water.  Water levels remain abnormally high, for this time of year with the nearby marshes holding standing water.  Although the water is high for this time of year on the long-term average, but it is has been like this for the last several years, minus a record drought in 2012.

Fourth of July is coming up, have a fun and safe time on the lake.

Endangered Common Terns Nesting on Lake Puckaway

The Common Tern is an endangered species in Wisconsin, nesting only off Lake Superior and a island in Lake Butte des Morts specifically made for them.  The birds are endangered in the state due to a scarcity of suitable beach nesting habitat.  Beaches are in high demand by both humans and nesting gulls.  The Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District modified two pontoon boats last year for these terns.  The rafts attracted Common Terns, but none nested. This year we further modified the rafts to make them more attractive, and have been rewarded with one nest on each raft.  This marks the first time Common Terns have nested on rafts in Wisconsin, something of a big deal in a small circle bird biologists.  Nesting rafts are not a new concept though, and are used elsewhere in the US and Europe.   In any event this doubles the number of Common Tern colonies found inland in Wisconsin.

Please give this rafts plenty of space so as not to disturb the birds.  Many tern species are aggressive defenders of nests and will rise up to attack or harass intruders.  While away from their nests the eggs and chicks are in danger of become too cold, and predation by gulls.  You may also receive a nasty peck.  Many a bird biologist has come away from a tern colony bloodied at some point in their career, so far I've only been pooped on.

The long-term goal of this project is to build a permanent island for Common Terns on Lake Puckaway with secondary habitat benefits for fish and other wildlife.  For example an island could be constructed in such a way that would encourage the growth of aquatic plants by providing a wave barrier.  The plants would then be habitat for fish, ducks, geese etc.  With an island in place the rafts would be retired, or donated to another organization interested in helping the Common Tern.

Incubating Common Tern

Common Terns build simple nests and typically lay three eggs.

Emergent (Bulrush) Planting Update

Bulrush plantings from 2013 are by and large doing well.  Many were planted in more sheltered locations than 2012.  Those that were planted on the North Shore are not looking well from the high winds and their associated waves that we have had lately.  Below are images from what I call Site 5 which is located on the sandbar, on the north tip of the Eastern Dredgebank.  I protected this planting form waves with snow fence, which take just enough wave energy to allow the bulrushes to re-establish themselves in spring.  Plants will require further protection from geese later in the summer.  No new bulrushes are planned for this year, but we are planting native phragmites this year. I sound like a broken record, but planting such as these are rarely successful even in their first year.  On Puckaway The Lake District and partners are bucking trends and paving new ground in habitat restoration and endangered species management.

Site 5 on planting day June 30, 2014

Site 5 view form of opposite side October 2013

Site 5 Jun 16, 2014.  Although small portions of the bed appear to have been destroyed in the winter (perhaps by ice)  The remaining softstem and hardstem bulrushes appear to have 2-3 times the stems as the October 2013 photo! Small number of stems from 2012 plantings are now visible.  

June 10, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

A normal day on Lake Puckaway with a little chop, Bald Eagles in the sky, and fish in the water.  The amazingly clear water of two weeks was lost thanks to storms that brought runoff and waves that stirred up the bottom.  Unlike the lake and the Fox River the Grand River was clearer at 4.6 feet.

May 28, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Great Day on the Lake/Rivers

For starters the weather was pretty good, not to too hot not too cold and the chop was not too bad.  The big news was a record breaking day in water clarity.  The in-lake average water clarity (Secchi depth) for today was 5.6 feet, the previous high was 4.5 feet, July 15, 2013.  Although probably very close to accurate, the true Secchi depth at the West Basin could not be determined because the disk was still visible while sitting on the bottom, 7.3 feet from the surface!  Water was not very clear on the Fox River with clarity only being 2.4 feet above the confluence with the Grand River

I suspect that there is little algae leaving the lake today as the water was not green and the water was filled with very large zooplankton, which are the most efficient feeders of algae in the water column.  The large zooplankton also provide great food for the tiny walleyes, yellow perch and other fry form this year’s hatch.

The bulrushes planted last year are growing very well so far, but are vulnerable to heavy waves.  

There are a few Common Terns are hanging around on the rafts, but no nesting yet.  

Empty bars indicate Secchi disk was visible on bottom

May14, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Interesting pattern in water clarity today as shown in the graph.  Water temperature was about 62 degrees, warmer than the air.

Wrong date on the graph, will replace soon.

Common Tern Nesting Rafts Return To Lake

Converted pontoon boats that are used as nesting "islands" for the state endangered Common Tern are again on Lake Puckaway.  There are both located on the north side of the mid-lake dredge bank, also known as "Bird Island"  Last year was the first year of the project and the rafts attracted many terns, but it is not known if they attempted to nest.  There were a few little impressions made in the gravel, but we don't know for sure if it was the common terns or another species.  In any case no eggs were seen, so the nests would have been unsuccessful.  

Over their off season the rafts underwent some modifications to make them more attractive to nesting birds.  The wooden sides were cut down and replaced with wire hardware cloth, which allows the birds a better view of the horizon they seem to prefer.  This year we have also changed the nesting substrate from pea gravel to sand.  This may also attract more birds. It also weighs more and makes the rafts sit lower in the water.  Please give the rafts some space, recommended 300 feet to not disturb the birds while fishing north of the dredge bank.

Thanks to Phil Malsack and Lake Arrowhead campground for providing the sand, and storing and launching the rafts.  Rich Pergande and his crew helped with towing the rafts, thank you.  Also thanks to Randy Schmidt, Derek Kavanaugh and my family, who helped building and retrofiring the rafts over the last two years.

Smoothing out the sand while motoring tern nesting raft across Lake Puckaway

April 17, 2014 Water Monitoring Report

Water quality monitoring and several other projects will continue for 2014 due to a grant extension.  Thursday was the first day back on the lake, and it felt great after a very long winter.  Things are pretty normal for this time of year; the water is high, and there are many migratory birds on the lake, more than I have seen in years past.  I counted 43 Common Loons, 3 Bald Eagles, numerous diving ducks and 5 Trumpeter Swans at the mouth of the river to name just a few.  Looking forward to another year on the lake.