Field Notes: June 28, 2013

New phragmites shoot and roots, 13 days after cutting and planting

I have been gone on vacation for little more than a week, and now that I am back, it is time to get busy with planting.  You may have noticed clumps of plants appearing here and there around the undeveloped parts of the lake.  These are likely phragmites plants, which make up the cane beds.  I have begun several experimental plantings by cutting stems from wetland plants and poking them into the lake bottom.  It may seem strange, and it may not work, but after 13 days the first cuttings are already sending out roots and shoots.  Whether or not these can produce a healthy enough root system to survive the winter remains to be seen, but even if mildly successful this could be an inexpensive tool to establish new beds or expand existing ones.  

Water is really too high to begin planting bulrush plants, but there is no guarantee the water will go down, so I’m slowly planting if hope that conditions will improve.  Our custom grown plants should have a fair chance at making it because they are between 3-4 feet tall.  Planting is never comfortable, but in deep water it is a real strain, and if a person is under 6 foot they need a snorkel with the current conditions. 

It appears that there will be no nesting on the rafts this year, but we have learned a lot from the experience, and plan on making some modifications to the rafts to make them more attractive to the birds.  The artificial island on Lake Butte des Morts had a record number of nest with eggs this year, so at least there should be more birds to attract in this part of the state.  

June 16, 2013 Water Monitoring Report

Happy Fathers' Day!

Many people were out enjoying the lake, with warm temperatures both in and out of the water (74 F).  Unfortunately heavy boat traffic was causing significant shore erosion above and below the the slow-no-wake area.  This, and Saturday's storms left the river turbid while the lake was fairly clear.

Field Notes: June 3, 2013

Daryl Christensen adding hay to
Forster's Tern nesting platforms

Wildlife

So far there are no Common Terns nesting on the rafts, but several adults, and non-breeding birds are still hanging around.  Daryl Christensen and I placed 20 small platforms for Forster's Terns, at Pancake Island among the River Bulrush that grows there, on Friday. The birds are either nesting or have staked their claim on them.  Daryl has been placing these platforms for many years.

Update: 19 of 20 platforms had nests

Forster's Tern Nest Platforms

Habitat

I began some experimental plantings of cuttings of common reed (canes).  If these are successful it will be a great way to establish and expand existing cane beds for very little cost.  

Underwater photo of wild rice in its
submerged growth phase.

So far it is looking like a good wild rice year up the Dead River.  Wild rice is a fragile annual grass, so sudden changes in water level could change that overnight.  

Last year's emergent plantings are struggling for light even though the water is somewhat clear in places.  Plants are coated with algae, sediment and other debris.  This can cause stress, and may end up killing some of the plants.  

Fish 

It is interesting to see massive schools of tiny fry, of several unknown species.  These are being preyed upon by Northern Pike, which just hatched in April, but are already 2-3 inches long.  I have seen several at our planting sites and take full credit for these fish.   :)

June 3, 2013 Water Monitoring Report

Today's average in-lake water clarity was 4.2 feet, and was courtesy of a massive zooplankton bloom.  It is massive in that zooplankton are very large, some large enough to see while standing in a boat, and massive in the number of individual tiny animals.  Large zooplankton are very efficient algae eating machines, and graze algae faster than it can reproduce. These zooplankton are feeding the walleye hatchery fish, not to mention yellow perch fry, and many others.  Soon the rapidly growing young fish will drive down the population of large zooplankton and algae will begin to dominate.

Water temperature was 67-70 degrees.

A Water Flea, or Daphnia, like this one from Lake Puckaway is a welcome sight.
Water Fleas eat large amounts of algae, and provide food for young fish.

Common Tern Nesting Raft: May 24, 2013 update.

Too many terns???

Lake Puckaway has been home to the endangered Forster's Tern for decades; now the District is attempting to get the endangered Common Tern to nest on the lake as well, by placing the nesting rafts made from old pontoons.  Apparently, the Forster's are a big fan of this beach property too.  On Friday, approximately 37 Forster's terns were busily preening or leisurely resting on railings or on the pea gravel inside Raft A (Western).  Three Common Terns were also there.  While I watched the raft, terns kept coming and going, leading me to believe Raft A is being visited by 60-100 of these endangered birds each day.  The raft itself could probably only hold the nests of 15 pairs, and that would be a dense nesting population.  No nests on the raft.  I was curious to see how disturbed the birds were after I had spent 15 minutes attaching new signs, so I counted how long it took for a tern to return:  29 seconds.

I also saw something I wasn't really expecting, and that was a flock of 16 Ruddy Turnstones, members of the sandpiper family, attempting to land inside the raft.  Some saw my ugly mug and floppy hat and flew off, but others landed and were the last birds to leave when I approached within twenty feet of the raft.  Ruddy Turnstones are only passing through on their way to their nesting grounds within the Arctic Circle.  While they are here they are neat to see, but unfortunately they will also eat tern eggs.  Fly on, Turnstones.

Raft B (Eastern), which is closer to boat traffic, has fewer birds on it, only 2-3 at a time, but maybe this will give the Common Terns some needed space to nest.  For those who like to fish the small cane bed nearby, casting into it from the channel side should not disturb the birds too much.  Thanks for giving them some space.

Common Tern Raft Update:  For 2014 tern rafts are both located behind "Bird Island" and raft B is now east of raft A .

Sorry for the up and down from the rocking boat.

New signs on nesting Raft B.  Each raft has two signs. 

Raft A, before new signs and loaded with Forster's, and a few Common Terns.
A flock of Ruddy Turnstones rocket into view on the right.  

May 24, 2013 Water Monitoring Report

Relatively heavy rains earlier in the week, coupled with bare ground on the farm fields probably brought in extra sediment down the river and into the lake.

The districts plantings from 2012 struggle to reach the light in turbid water.
These plants in the shallows, are now in the clear, so to speak.

Common Tern Nesting Rafts

The Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District has placed two modified pontoon boats along the central dredge bank of Lake Puckaway.  The Common Tern is an endangered species in the state of Wisconsin because their natural nesting habitats--beaches and sand bars--have disappeared due to development and dam building.  The rafts placed on the lake simulate this habitat, while being less susceptible to fluctuating water levels and predators.  Lake Puckaway is already home to another endangered species of tern, the Forster’s Tern.  Forster’s Terns and Common Terns look very similar, but the Forster’s Tern typically nests on mats of vegetation.

Please only observe terns at a distance to avoid disturbing the birds.  If the rafts are visited too often, the birds may abandon the colony.  Keep at least 100 yards distance, and never enter the rafts.  Wildlife watchers can get a good look at these 4.5 ounce terns when they are resting on buoys, posts, rocks, or exposed sandbars.  They are fun to watch as they search and catch fish throughout the shallower regions of the lake.  When they spot a fish they hover and go into a dive, plunging and briefly disappearing into the water.  Males will often give their catch to their mate. 

Common Tern on nesting raft railing

 Rafts will be placed in early May and be removed after the breeding season in late summer.  Funding is provided by a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Lake Protection grant and the Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District.  Check the Lake Puckaway blog for weekly updates during the breeding season.

UPDATE: 5/19/2013

Up to ten Common Terns, and two Forster's Terns have been seen using the raft simultaneously  and least for loafing purposes.  The western raft sees most of the use, and appears to have a nest on it with no eggs yet.  Common Tern nests are often just scrapes in the sand, but sometimes they add nearby sticks and grasses.  Rafts will soon get official looking signs.

Click for more photos