Mid-continent duck numbers up slightly
A black Lab retrieves a drake mallard on a North Dakota wetland. (News Tribune file)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report July 2 on mid-continent breeding ducks based on surveys conducted in May and early June. Total duck populations are up 13 percent from last year and are 25 percent above the 1955-2008 long-term average. Total population of breeding ducks was estimated at 42 million on the surveyed area.
“The increase in duck numbers in relation to the increase in habitat conditions is consistent with what we would expect to see in U.S. and Canadian breeding grounds this spring,” said Ducks Unlimited’s Executive Vice President Don Young in a prepared statement. “History has repeatedly shown that when water returns to the breeding grounds, ducks respond with a strong breeding effort.”
Total pond counts for the United States and Canada combined showed 6.4 million ponds, a 45 percent increase from last year’s estimate, and 31 percent above the long-term average. Habitat conditions in 2009 were mostly a good news scenario. Conditions across the southern portions of the Canadian and U.S prairies improved considerably from 2008.
However, drought remained in some parts of the traditional survey area, including western portions of the Prairie Pothole Region. Southern Alberta saw a decrease in ponds of 19 percent. This area contrasted sharply with record amounts of snow and rainfall in the Dakotas. The north-central U.S., which includes the Dakotas, saw a 108 percent increase in total ponds.
A drake mallard takes flight from a Minnesota wetland. (News Tribune file)
Posted by: samcook on 7/03/2009 at 9:54 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Greening up on the Gunflint Trail
A wild rose blooms among young aspen trees along the Gunflint Trail north of Grand Marais on Thursday. This area was burned by the Ham Lake Fire in 2007. (Sam Cook/scook@duluthnews.com)
After completing an assignment today on Saganaga Lake at the tip of the Gunflint Trail, I stopped to look at the new growth coming up after the Ham Lake Fire in May 2007. Among the blackened and barkless pines that rise from the landscape, young aspens and young pines are flourishing. Some of the aspens are 6 or 8 feet tall already. They grow rapidly in an area that has been opened to full sunshine. It won't be too many years before the lush new growth begins to become the dominant feature of the landscape.
A friend in Grand Marais said later in the day that blueberries were phenomenal in the burned area last summer, and he expects them to be again this summer. Blueberries nearly always are prolific after a burn.
Although parts of the burn are not as scenic to our customary way of thinking following the fire, this cycle has repeated itself countless times over the centuries in this country. The forest knows how to heal itself.
Posted by: samcook on 7/02/2009 at 9:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
New fishing contest permit rules in Minnesota
Among the new fishing and hunting laws that take effect today is one regarding permits for fishing contests. In essence, the new rules raise the threshhold at which a permit is required for a contest. In the past, a permit was required if the contest had 30 participants or more. The new rule is 25 boats, which in most cases means 50 anglers.
Here's a synopsis of the fishing contest changes, according to a Department of Natural Resources news release:
o A 25 boat minimum for the event to require a fishing contest permit (up from 30 participants in the past).
o rough fish contests and contests with total prize value of $500 or less do not require permits
o The fee waiver for charitable organizations is no longer available.
o The current maximum contest fees are cut in half.
o The commissioner must develop best practices certification for fishing contests to assure proper handling and release of fish.
o The commissioner must develop an online web-based fishing contest permit application process.
o The commissioner may allow for live release weigh-ins at public accesses.
Posted by: samcook on 7/01/2009 at 4:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Spring waterfowl picture is mixed
A drake mallard comes in for a landing on a Minnesota lake. (News Tribune file)
Variable spring habitat conditions observed in the United States and Canada present a mixed picture for the fall 2009 waterfowl seasons, according to according to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources news release today.
Preliminary information shows areas ranging from very good wetland conditions to very dry, according to Kent Van Horn, DNR migratory waterfowl biologist.
Ducks
Waterfowl breeding areas in Canada this spring had mostly fair to good conditions with smaller areas of excellent and poor habitat, according to Van Horn. Waterfowl breeding is expected to be good overall in Canada. Precipitation and wetland habitats in the U.S. prairies for 2009 were mostly good to excellent with significant flooding in large areas.
In Wisconsin, wetland conditions were highly variable, with average to wet conditions in the southern part of the state and drought conditions in northwestern Wisconsin. Breeding and brood-rearing habitat in southern Wisconsin is expected to be good in 2009 but poor in northern Wisconsin.
The four most abundant ducks in Wisconsin’s fall hunting harvest are mallards, wood ducks, green-winged teal and blue-winged teal. Van Horn notes that many of the ducks harvested in Wisconsin come from birds that breed in Wisconsin, in contrast to other states in the flyway that rely more heavily on birds raised in the prairies or boreal forests of Canada.
The 2009 total Wisconsin breeding duck population estimate of 502,416 is down 20 percent from 2008, but 16 percent above the long-term mean (36 years). The difference in the total duck estimate between 2008 and 2009 is largely explained by unusually high 2008 estimates for the blue-winged teal and "other duck" components which returned to more normal levels in 2009.
"These are population estimates – not exact counts – so changes of near 20 percent up or down in the estimates each year may not reflect any real change in the actual population,” Van Horn said.
The mallard population estimate of 200,497 is a 6 percent increase over 2008 and 10 percent above the long-term mean. Mallards constitute nearly 40 percent of the overall state duck harvest in Wisconsin.
The blue-winged teal breeding population showed a 37 percent decrease from 2008 but was just 2 percent below the long term mean.
Canada Geese
“There are two different populations of Canada geese that represent most of the geese in Wisconsin during the regular fall hunting season and our harvest is about 50 percent from each of these populations during the regular hunting seasons,” Van Horn said.
One population, called resident giant Canada geese, nests in Wisconsin. The statewide breeding Canada goose population estimate of 148,293 is up 27 percent from 2008 and 84 percent above the long-term mean.
The second Canada goose population is the Mississippi Valley Population, which is made up of birds that nest along the coast of Hudson Bay and migrate through Wisconsin. The estimated 2009 breeding population of MVP Canada geese was 239,631, down from 305,191 in 2008 and was 35 percent below the 1989-2008 average. In contrast, the 2009 total spring population estimate was 518,232, below that of 2008 (626,358) but only 3 percent below the 1989-2008 average. The total population includes the breeding birds as well as non-breeders and those whose breeding attempts failed.
Posted by: samcook on 6/30/2009 at 2:51 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Free boat rides for seniors planned
Let’s Go Fishing Duluth will hold boat rides for senior citizens July 15-16 on the St. Louis River. The non-profit group is trying to raise awareness of its plan to purchase a pontoon boat to take seniors on fishing outings.
The rides on the river are open to seniors at assisted living centers and nursing homes and to some youth organizations as well. The 40-minute excursions will depart Spirit Lake Marina in Riverside every half hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. The group will be using two pontoon boats on loan from the statewide Let’s Go Fishing headquarters in Willmar, Minn.
The group hopes to raise money to purchase its own pontoon and all equipment needed to take seniors fishing. The or-ganization hopes to raise $48,000, and all donations are tax-deductible.
Businesses or organizations can purchase advertising spots on the boat for $1,500 per year, said Nancy Saari with Let’s Go Fishing Duluth.
In addition to the boat rides, a free barbecue will be held on shore from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
Reservations for the boat rides can be made by calling 348-6059.
For more information about Let’s Go Fishing, go to www.lgfws.com.
Posted by: samcook on 6/30/2009 at 1:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Two peregrine falcon chicks flying now
Two of the four peregrine falcon chicks living in a nest box atop the Greysolon Plaza building in downtown Duluth have fledged, said Julie O' Connor with Peregrine Watch.
Zinger and Alex, both males, began flying early Sunday morning, O' Connor said. They had been reported later in the morning at the Kozy Bar. They've since been seen atop various other buildings in that part of downtown Duluth, O'Connor said.
"They're exploring rooftops close to the Greysolon Plaza building," she said. "We're beginning to see progression to being able to fly upward, so they're building strength."
Two female chicks remain in the nest box and are expected to fledge in the next several days.
For more on the chicks and their progress toward flight, check out earlier posts on this blog site.
Posted by: samcook on 6/30/2009 at 11:40 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink
Playing the waiting game in Quetico park
Walleye fillets sizzle in a frying pan over a cooking fire on Basswood Lake in Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park on Friday night. (Sam Cook/scook@duluthnews.com)
Four of us are just back from a few days in the canoe country north of Ely. For the first time in more than 30 years of paddling and tripping, we didn't make it out of the woods on the day we had planned. Strong winds kept us windbound for the past three days, and we were day behind schedule in coming out. Our spouses understood that the "24-hour rule" was in effect: Don't worry about us unless we're more than 24 hours overdue. They figured we were windbound. We made it back within the 24-hour grace period, so nobody called the authorities.
We were on Basswood Lake most of the time. While windbound, we did a fair bit of fishing from shore. Duluth's Scott Neustel, "Walleye" Dan Theis and Dave Spencer kept us in fish. They caught numerous walleyes, smallmouth bass and northern pike casting small Shad Raps, jigs tipped with Gulp minnows or twister tails and other lures. Theis also caught a 25-inch walleye from the canoe one afternoon.
Our next to last day, Sunday, we made a memorable crossing of a windswept channel on North Bay of Basswood that required our complete attention and all our paddling skills. We had to cross broadside to the wind, but to do so, we made a "ferry," in which we kept the bows of the two canoes pointed mostly into the wind so they would ride the waves. Both canoes (a Wenonah Minnesota II and a Wenonah Odyssey) handled the waves, but they both took on some water. The crossing lasted about 15 minutes, which isn't long unless every wave matters.
Beyond that, our trip was mostly a matter of waiting out the weather. That meant building fires, stringing tarps to keep off the rain, telling stories and shorecasting.
Here are a couple more shots from the trip:
Dan Theis of Duluth holds a 25-inch walleye he caught while jigging on Basswood Lake near Ely during a recent trip to Quetico Provincial Park. (Sam Cook/scook@duluthnews.com)
Dave Spencer of Duluth makes tea while we were windbound on Basswood Lake north of Ely during a canoe trip to Quetico Provincial Park. Wind was a factor several days on the trip, preventing us from traveling. (Sam Cook/scook@duluthnews.com)
Posted by: samcook on 6/29/2009 at 6:38 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Back Monday
I'll be in the bush for four days, back posting again on Monday. Four of us are headed for the canoe country north of Ely. Hope you enjoy the rest of your week and weekend. Looks warm.
Posted by: samcook on 6/25/2009 at 5:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Another day in the life of a falcon
Two of four peregrine falcon chicks check out downtown Duluth from their nesting box on the Greysolon Plaza building on Tuesday. Naturalists with Peregrine Watch at the Lakewalk think the chicks may begin flying about July 1. (Clint Austin/caustin@duluthnews.com)
Duluth News Tribune photographer Clint Austin captured the photo above and another below, of an adult pegegrine falcon, Tuesday afternoon. Check out my blog posting from Tuesday about what it takes to get a peregrine chick airborne.
Here's the other photo:
An adult peregrine falcon sits top the Greysolon Plaza building in downtown Duluth on Tuesday afternoon. The adult is one of two that are raising four chicks in a nesting box on the building. (Clint Austin/caustin@duluthnews.com)
Posted by: samcook on 6/24/2009 at 1:43 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink
These gloves are bug-beaters
My hunch is that mosquitoes are going to be hatching in droves any moment now, and we'll again be trying to figure out how to beat the blood-lusting little six-leggers. A friend who recently returned from the canoe country verifies that they're already a factor.
A friend of mine who often guides brook trout anglers into the backcountry suggests an innovative way to beat bugs on a usually vulnerable part of an angler's anatomy -- the hands. He brings along latex gloves and gives them to his clients. If they're sized right, he says, you can easily maintain your dexterity with rod, reel, hook and night crawlers, and the mosquitoes can't probe through the latex.
As for the rest of your body, the first line of defense is always to cover up -- long pants, long-sleeved shirt, cap, etc. When they bugs get unbearable, I slap on a little DEET-laced repellent, being careful to keep it off the palms of my hands. (It "melts" fishing tackle, monofilament line, etc.) Sometimes you don't have to apply the repellent to your skin if the bugs aren't too bad. Just spray some on the bill of your cap, on your sleeves, on your pants. That might work.
I don't particularly like DEET, so I don't keep it on any longer than necessary. If I'm headed for the tent, where I'll be protected, I usually wash the insect repellent off first.
I have friends who have tried the Bug-Off clothing, which has repelling materials embedded in the fabric, and they say it works. Every year, I hear about some new "organic" or "natural" insect repellent. I've tried them over the years, and have found them to be much less effective than DEET-based products. I don't use them.
On a 21-day trip to Hudson Bay in 1983, one friend who preferred to go shirtless slathered himself with a 100-percent DEET repellent every morning, then paddled with relative impunity. We marveled at his liberal use of the potent "Jungle Juice." Now, 26 years later, that individual is still alive and shows no apparent side effects of his DEET baths. I don't take this as conclusive proof that DEET is harmless, but I do find it somewhat reassuring.
Posted by: samcook on 6/23/2009 at 3:15 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
