Crane Lake Nature Blog

From the Houston TX Audubon Society: “During the spring migration period from early March to mid May conditions occasionally exist where strong, turbulent north winds and rain trigger a phenomenon called a “fallout.” This usually happens when a strong, fast-moving cold front crosses the Texas coast and moves into the Gulf of Mexico during the middle of the day. The wind and rain slows the migrating birds down causing them to rapidly use up their stored energy reserves. Thousands of extremely tired migrants are forced to seek shelter and food as soon as they reach the coast. At these times, good-quality habitat along the coast is vitally important to the survival of tens and thousands of birds.”

Minnesota too, can have fall outs in the spring. If the conditions are just right in the city of Duluth, fall outs occur there quite often during migration. Duluth is prone to weather fronts that can cause Lake Superior to create a fog that’s as thick as pea soup. That’s when it’s a good time to head down to Park Point, many migrating birds might be grounded due to the thick fog.

Here in Crane Lake, we tend to have spring snowstorms that may dump copious amounts of wet snow on the trees and ground, and that can cause a sort of “fall-out”. This morning due to the 4 inches of snow we received overnight, the birdfeeders were very busy. The snow has covered up the ground and tree branches where birds normally go to forage for food, so now large flocks of birds out are out scouring the landscape for other food sources. The birds that go to the feeders knock food to the ground and the ground feeding birds are attracted to the commotion and find food where others have tread. I’m glad that I had stocked up on sunflower seed in preparation of a busy spring at the feeders. It didn’t hurt that sunflower seeds have come down in price since this winter. I’m guessing the overpriced seeds caused demand to go down and now there’s an oversupply.

Recent arrivals:

Tree Sparrow in snow

Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Flicker, yellow-shafted

Mallards eat sunflower seeds too

Feast your eyes now on the beautiful Pine Grosbeak because soon they will be leaving northern Minnesota and heading back across the northern border to Canada.

male Pine Grosbeak

They always leave the Crane Lake area around the same time every year and that is right around March 15th. It seems they don’t care what the weather is like, they have their own time clock. Many Pine Grosbeaks are moving through the neighborhood right now as many of the birds are coming from places to the south like the Sax-Zim bog.

Pine Grosbeak

pine grosbeaks

Pine Grosbeak, female

Many of the juvenile birds are just starting to get their brilliant colors and some appear a rusty red while others are turning a more pinkish red.

Pinicola enucleator

The Pine Grosbeak is the largest member of the Finch family, slightly larger than the Evening Grosbeak.

pine grosbeak

Good-bye Pineys until next year, see you in November.

Voyageurs National Park News Release

Release Date: February 29, 2012

Contact: Steve Windels, steve_windels@nps.gov, 218-283-6692

Voyageurs National Park to Collar Moose and Wolves

Voyageurs National Park plans to capture up to 6 adult moose to attach state-of-art GPS collars in March 2012 as part of a continuing project to investigate the potential effects of climate change and other factors on the long-term viability of moose in the park. The project is a collaborative effort among scientists from Voyageurs National Park, the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Voyageurs National Park is concerned about the long-term viability of its moose population given recent declines in moose populations in other parts of Minnesota and adjacent Ontario. Among factors possibly causing these declines are chronic stress related to warmer summer and winter temperatures and lethal effects of parasites transmitted by white-tailed deer such as brainworm and liver flukes. Voyageurs National Park protects a moose population of around 50 animals based on recent surveys.

The 2012 capture effort includes the recapture of 4 moose collared in Voyageurs National Park in January 2011. The collars on the recaptured moose will be removed to download remaining data on the collars. The moose will then be fitted with new collars that will last until the end of the project in 2014. Two additional moose in the park will also be captured and fit with new collars.

Voyageurs National Park also plans to capture two adult gray wolves to attach GPS collars similar to those used for moose. The collaring effort, part of a larger wolf monitoring program in the park that includes snow tracking and other survey methods, will aid park managers in assessing the current status of wolves in the park. The last detailed population estimate of wolves in the Voyageurs National Park area was completed in 2001.

All animals will be captured by an immobilization drug administered via a dart gun shot from a single helicopter. The immobilization, which is temporary, allows handlers to safely attach collars and collect data related to animal health. Blood and fecal samples will also be collected from each animal as part of a collaborative monitoring effort with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The capture operation will be conducted by a private company, Quicksilver Air Inc., that specializes in the capture of wild animals from helicopters. Wildlife veterinarians from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will also be on-site.

Some snowmobile trails may be temporarily closed inside Voyageurs National Park to allow for safe capture operations while the helicopter is in the immediate vicinity of a snowmobile trail. Closed trails will be adequately marked or staffed by NPS personnel to alert park visitors. Closed trails may include the Chain of Lakes trail and the overland portages of the Ash River to Kettle Falls trail. The capture operation is expected to be completed in 1-2 days between the dates March 4-March 18, dependent on weather conditions.

More information on other moose research occurring in Minnesota can be found at

www.nrri.umn.edu/moose.

For more information contact:

Steve Windels, Terrestrial Ecologist, Voyageurs National Park, 218-283-6692, steve_windels@nps.gov Ron Moen, Wildlife Biologist, Natural Resources Research Institute, 218-720-4372, rmoen@nrri.umn.edu

　www.nps.gov

　About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 395 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at

www.nps.gov.

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Kathleen Przybylski

Management Assistant/Administrative Officer Voyageurs National Park 360 Highway 11 East International Falls, MN 56649

218/283-6612 (direct line with voice mail)

218/285-7407 (fax)

kathleen_przybylski@nps.gov

According to the MOU (MN Ornithologists Union), the winter season for reporting birds is over. We are now in the Spring reporting period! That’s because birds are starting to migrate north. Many birds are already making their way into southern Minnesota and it won’t be long until we start seeing migrants up here in Crane Lake.

Raven

In fact, we’ve already had some migrants return, the American Crow. Yes, Crows leave the Crane Lake area for a short time in the dead of winter, usually in December and January, and they return during the month of February. In the coldest months the Raven rules Voyageur Country. Resident Ravens stick around to defend their territories, while Ravens from further up north migrate south to northern Minnesota. It seems the more northerly races of Common Raven are bigger than the resident Common Ravens.

Spring is always a time that everyone, including wildlife, looks forward to – It can be said that there is a re-birth every year.

Now is the best time to get out and clean out any nest boxes that you may have. It always amazes me how early some birds come back to nest.

Early in the year, the smallest sliver of open water will attract Hooded Mergansers, Wood Ducks, Common Goldeneyes and many other waterfowl. The above ducks are cavity nesters and they’ll be scoping out possible nest sites as soon as they return.

Another bird that returns super early is the Eastern Bluebird. I have seen reports where they have already returned to southern MN. So the other day I waded through the deep snow to perform routine maintenance on the Bluebird house that I have.

Last year I watched the box sporadically as it wasn’t on my property. I was disappointed that I didn’t get any Bluebirds, but I did get a blue bird to nest in the box!

Tree Swallow

 A Tree Swallow!

Trees Swallows are beautiful blue birds too – and like Bluebirds they arrive back on their breeding territories really early – earlier than any of the other species of Swallow.

Remote pond

In the Crane Lake area, Tree Swallows and Bluebirds nest in dead tree snags, many times in a beaver pond where there’s a lot of “beaver-killed” trees. Unfortunately, the imported European Starling also likes to nest in cavities – so they have created a competition with our native birds and have forced certain native species to decline, especially the Bluebird.

One way you can help our native birds is by putting up Bluebird houses. A variety of bird species will use the houses, and they have one very important difference – the entry hole is too small for a Starling to enter! So even up in the north country where it seems there are many natural tree cavities for a bird to nest – a house put up by a human may actually help some birds.

More information about Bluebirds and their houses can be found here: http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

 Here’s a better shot of the Red Fox.

Gray Fox

Red Fox cropped

The Red Fox looks a little bigger and there’s the white tip on the tail.

Last fall I had heard that the DNR is looking for reports of Gray Fox. I never knew there was another species of Fox in Minnesota.

The Red Fox can occur in different color phases, or mutations, some Red Fox are gray and silver – but they’re known as a Silver Fox or a “Cross” Fox.

The DNR is interested in the Gray Fox as they are a species that is expanding their range to the north. They don’t know why, but one reason may be due to climate change.

Gray Fox in trail cam

The other night I captured this image on my trail cam. I thought the Fox looked a little small and I wondered if it might be a Gray Fox.

Gray Fox's black tail

One of the identifying marks of a http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/grayfox.html Gray Fox  is the black tail. This Fox does have that. A Gray Fox is also a bit smaller and they are supposed to be more ’cat-like’. I guess one of the traits that they have is an opposing thumb – or their dew clay is such that they have the ability to climb trees, like a cat and unlike a Red Fox.

Red Fox

 Another image on the web cam showed a regular Red Fox: notice the white tipped tail. This Fox also looks bigger to me than the other Fox.

Red Fox marking

Gray Fox

The Gray Fox also has different markings on its’ face. They must be very nocturnal, because the trail cam hasn’t taken any daytime pictures of this Fox.

 

 

 

If you’ve ever wanted to see pictographs, then here is an easy trek into the BWCAW to see some awesome Native American paintings.

Hegman Lake in the BWCAW

It’s an easy 2 mile hike or ski into Hegman Lake where the pictographs are located. If there isn’t much snow, like there is this year, then it is easy to hike, otherwise cross-country skiing is the way to go. After the shore portage from the Echo Trail (county road 116), it took us only 40 minutes to get to the pictographs (and we’re slow!).

Hegman Lake photographers

Lots of people were out enjoying the beautiful warm day.

 

In the summertime, it’s an easy paddle in your canoe across the lake. But in the wintertime – that’s when it’s the easiest to get across the lake on the frozen surface. One place to be aware of is the outlet from North Hegman Lake to South Hegman. Early in the winter season, and even now, there’s open water. So beware of thin ice.

 

Just travel where there have been people before and you should be fine. There are lots of tracks heading in there at this time of the year.

Hegman Lake pictographs

These are really exceptional pictographs. I’m not going to show a close-up – you’ll have to see that for yourself!

it snowed last night – a good 4 inches of the fluffy white stuff! We’re getting there, earlier this week we had 2-3″ and it hasn’t melted.