A Paddle on Stone Lake -By Neva

As the Citizen Science Intern at the Discovery Center this summer, I will be leading and assisting with a number of projects that citizen science volunteers can easily participate in. You don’t have to be a professional scientist to take part in these projects, yet your contributions are the backbone of larger projects, often nation or even world-wide.

One of the several great projects I am working on this summer is working to increase Common Loon productivity through artificial nesting platforms on the Manitowish Waters chain of lakes. This project is in collaboration with Project LoonWatch, a citizen science program based out of Northland College, and gathers information about the distribution and reproductive success of Wisconsin’s loons. If you are interested, check out http://www.northland.edu/about-loonwatch.htm for more information. Volunteers monitor a lake of their choice from approximately March to August.  I will be monitoring Stone Lake, just off of County K.  This morning, Heather and I took a canoe out to the lake to see what we could find. 

We actually tackled two projects in one trip, the other being the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II project.  The Bird Atlas is another great citizen science project to become involved with, especially for avid birders. It documents the distribution and abundance of birds throughout Wisconsin with a focus on breeding times and success. More information can be found here: http://wsobirds.org/about-the-atlas. 

At the shore, we heard many singing male birds in territory where one would expect these birds to nest. We saw a bald eagle pair defending their enormous nest in the tallest white pine around. As we got onto the water, we heard many more species calling, including the Ovenbird, Yellow Warbler, and a Grackle. We were even lucky enough to see otters swimming around. As we made our way around the island, we saw and heard many more birds, defending their prime territory in the larches.  We saw a nest with the eggshells of Canada Geese. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some large eggs right near the shore. It didn’t register what they were at first, but as it turned out, I had spotted two loon eggs! Very shortly after the sighting, the parent loon swam up aggressively. It was really exciting to spot the nest  because I had never really given a lot of thought to bird nesting, and I found it really enjoyable to watch the birds give clues to where their nests are.

The loon’s nest was in a dry, protected cove along the shore of the island, but ultimately we would have liked to see the loons using the nesting platforms that were put out for them this April.

Interestingly, there was evidence of the platforms being used by the otters.  There were shells left on the platform. I can definitely see how the otters would see this platform as a prime place to soak up some sun and snack on some mussels.

It will be interesting to observe the loon nest as well as the otters as the summer progresses. I can’t wait to (hopefully) see the baby loons. I am looking forward to these projects and many more this summer. 

HOME IS WHERE THE NEST IS—NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL

HOME IS WHERE THE NEST IS—NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL

Nesting Platforms on the Manitowish River chain of lakes

By: David Foster

Photo by Dennis Dorow

If you’re a loon, finding a place to raise a family isn't easy.  It needs to be just right: a nice spot on a shoreline, not in a flood zone, safe from marauders, located in a quiet neighborhood.  The process usually entails coming back to the same lake and hoping to meet up with the same partner (loon pairs winter separately but tend to hook up again in the old neighborhood if they make it back).  Then the search begins-- looking at the choices, talking it over with your partner, and beating the competition to the right place. 

          This lifestyle has worked well for Wisconsin loons in the last twenty years. The estimated adult loon population is above 4000 in the 2010 statewide census, taken every five years by Project LoonWatch of Northland College.  However, while the adult loon number is up, the estimated number of chicks in 2010 is down from 2005, and it is not clear why.  Researchers think that since larger numbers of loons are competing for nesting sites, there is more loon-on-loon aggression, and many pairs settle for lower-quality nesting places—ones more subject to flooding, human disturbance, or predation by raccoons, mink, snapping turtles, and eagles.

After careful study of conditions on the Manitowish River chain of lakes, the Wisconsin DNR approved several lakes on the chain for artificial platforms.  As Heather Lumpkin, Research and Monitoring Coordinator of the North Lakeland Discovery Center, says, “This project will install, maintain, and monitor 8 new artificial loon nesting platforms on the Manitowish Chain,” in partnership with the DNR, USGS, and Project LoonWatch.  Mike Meyer, a DNR scientist with long experience studying loons in Wisconsin, provided years of loon research data crucial to selecting lakes for this project.  

The Loon Platform 

A loon housing project—aka an artificial nesting platform-- begins as a three-foot square Styrofoam pad with cedar frames, netting and “chick slides” giving young ones easier access.  Then the frame and other components are loaded into a pickup truck and ferried to the nest site.  The photos below show the nest being constructed on Alder Lake near Manitowish Waters. 

Adding Dirt to Platform 

Making the Platform More Natural

                                                                                                          

After packing soil into the bottom of the frame, vegetation is added—mostly leatherleaf and sphagnum moss, with white pine and small boggy shrubs added.  

Making a new home

  The Finished Platform Floating

Lengths of cord are stretched between the slim wooden poles at each corner to protect the nest from eagles, while the open water between the nest and the shore provide protection from raccoon's and other predators.

The final stage of the program is to monitor the nesting platform weekly to see if a loon nests on it, whether eggs are incubated and hatched, and whether chicks are raised successfully. The North Lakeland Discovery Center hopes to monitor the platforms for at least 5 years during the nesting season, with the help of volunteers.  It may take a few years for the loons to start using them.  Loon nesting productivity with platforms will be compared to baseline nesting productivity data collected by Mike Myers for loons on the chain.  If more loon chicks are hatched and fledged with the platforms, the project will be considered a success.  

[1] W.H. Piper et al. Biological Conservation 104 (2002) 199–203 201, p. 202.