Program Notes from the March 25, 2008 Meeting of LKWA

March 25, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Tallgrass Restoration office

Chairman, Rick Persson, called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. There were 24 persons in attendance.

Rick welcomed everyone and introduced Linda Yunker, grants specialist for Tallgrass Restoration and Pat Ready, "the osprey guy" who is our speaker for the evening program.

A motion was passed to approve the minutes of February 26, 2008 as emailed. The treasurer's report was distributed, discussed and approved.

Sightings around the lake signaled the arrival of spring. There are turkeys everywhere in large flocks. There are many sandhills calling and flying about. On march 13, the first wood ducks were spotted. Also seen were hooded mergansers, white pelicans, bluebills, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, ring-necked ducks, shovelers, bald eagles and snow geese. The latter spent about one week in the corn field nest to Snuffy's. Maybe they wanted to watch March madness on the TV? It was noted that a drive down to the end of Blackhawk Island provides excellent viewing of migratory waterfowl. (If the road is passable).

Old business: We are still waiting for a ruling by Judge Dillon. A ruling is expected within a few weeks.

New business:

  1. Picnic location and date. Shearer's volunteered to have at their place. Rick will also check with Crescent Bay. It can be anytime in July, August or September.
  2. Linda Yunker, grants specialist for Tallgrass Restoration, discussed the possibility of LKWA partnering with them to submit a grant to the "Pulling Together Grants Program". It is sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and is federally funded in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, three USDA Services (Animal and Plant Health, Forestry, and NRCS). The strategy is to create a local Cooperative Weed Management Area partnership. Eligible participants are individuals, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, commercial organizations and local, state and Indian tribal governments.

    The group was very interested in this opportunity. Our next step will be to have a small working group meet with Linda to further investigate the program and to recruit partners.
  3. Announcements:
  1. April 29 meeting – Terrill Knaack, wildlife artist and expert on shallow lakes. We decided not to have a business meeting that evening and will start the program at 7:00 pm. Linn will place ads in the local newspapers and we will publish it on our web site. The general public is invited. We will need a microphone.
  2. May 27 meeting – program will be about placement and care of prothonotary warbler boxes. This will be a field trip. Location to be determined, most likely Blackhawk Island depending on flood stage of the river.
  3. Legacy of Duck Hunting on Lake Koshkonong, September 14 – October 4, 2008. Sponsored by the Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson. Please let Jim Leute know if you have any information or items to add to the exhibits.

Meeting adjourned at 6:57 pm.

Program: Osprey in southern Wisconsin. Pat Ready, volunteer coordinator (for the DNR) of nesting surveys for osprey in the southern region of Wisconsin.

Osprey were greatly affected by DDT and their population plummeted from historical levels. They were placed on the Endangered and Threatened species list in Wisconsin in 1972. DDT and similar chemicals were banned in 1972 and the osprey began to recover. In 1973 there were 92 osprey nests (territories) recorded, in 2006 there were 457 and in 2007 there were 480. In the same time interval, eagle nests increased from 108 in 1973 to 1065 in 2006. Osprey numbers plateaued in the 1990s, but a recent expansion into southern Wisconsin seems to coincide with an increase in numbers.

Osprey were first found nesting in southern Wisconsin in the late 1990s. Although, historically, they nested here, none had been recorded south of LaCrosse in recent history. The first nest was seen in Stoughton on the Yahara River (2 blocks north of the Main St. bridge). Pat has followed this nest closely and had many wonderful photos of the birds. The Stoughton male has been coming since 2000. He was banded in Detroit and can be identified. The males and females are very similar in appearance though the females may have more pattern on their breast. The immature birds are almost adult size when they fledge but have speckling on their back. Adults are a uniform dark color on their back. Most nests have 3 chicks. Eggs are laid in late April and the incubation lasts about 35 days. By mid to late June, one can see the heads of the young lifted in the nest. The adults feed them fish. The male brings the fish and the female tears it into small pieces to feed the young.

Wisconsin osprey fly south in the winter to the coast of Texas and then to central America where they winter in Panama. Unfortunately, they are often shot there because they are thought to be evil spirits. This has been documented many times because the hunters often turn in the bands of osprey that were banded in Wisconsin. The Audubon Society has launched an educational effort to try to change this. Young osprey are in the greatest danger because they are not wary and spend their first one or two years of life in Panama before they return to Wisconsin. The survival for the first 3 years is only 30%. Once the young adults migrate back, their chance of survival is 90%. Osprey return to Wisconsin in early April. (Note: Pat Ready reported after the meeting the one of the Stoughton birds was sighted on March 31!)

Interestingly, very few osprey in Wisconsin nest near Lake Michigan or along the Mississippi River. A world expert in osprey behavior, Sergej Postupalsky, has postulated that the Lake Michigan water is not clear enough for them to fish. They fish by plunging into the water from flight. Perhaps they avoid the Mississippi for the same reason or because there are so many bald eagles nesting there. However, osprey do nest in close proximity to eagles in northern Wisconsin. Although eagles sometimes steal fish from osprey, they have not been observed harassing their nests or endangering the osprey young. Osprey platforms should be located in the open without trees overhead. The eagles greatly prefer tree tops and usually will not nest on an osprey platform.

Recently, increased chick mortality has been noted up north, even when the chicks appear to be well fed. There is some evidence that this may be caused by black flies. Loons seem to be experiencing a similar problem. How the flies cause the death of the young is not known. Black flies are also known to kill bluebirds and it is now recommended not to use vented bluebird boxes so the flies do not enter.

More than 60% of osprey nests in Wisconsin are built on man-made structures, either nest platforms, utility poles or cell towers. When the power companies discover osprey on utility poles with wires, they erect a dummy pole with a platform nearby and remove the nest the next winter. They place a few sticks on the new platform and the birds usually relocate the next spring.

An interesting feature of the osprey is its "bent-wing" structure . The long wings (5-6 feet) are angled and bowed downward. This allows the bird to avoid wing injury when it dives into the water. Also, the osprey has heavily oiled feathers.

Pat had many interesting stories and photos about individual birds. The program was most enjoyable and informative! We all look forward to the return of the Lake Koshkonong osprey and hope that in future years their offspring or those of other southern nests will come to occupy the two additional nest platforms that were erected on the lake in 2007.

Respectfully submitted,

Penny Shackelford, Secretary-Treasurer