Citizen science monitors of the Friends continue their work in the Preserve during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bluebird trail around the Biocore Prairie has 8 nest boxes designed according to specifications by the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin. While these boxes are also coveted by Tree swallows, and if set up close to the woods, will attract House wrens, the focus of the project is the Eastern Bluebirds. During the week of May 18 monitors Maggi Christianson and Gisela Kutzbach were delighted to observe 4 or 5 tiny Bluebird babies in one of the boxes, forming a ball of fuzz and skin still so pink.
Maggi and Laura Berger had their first monitor training session three days earlier with Jeff Koziol, primary monitor of the project. At that time there were 5 beautiful blue eggs in the carefully shaped nest, made from fine grass. These eggs had been incubated over a period of two weeks since May 4 and were close to hatching. What a thrill for us to see the healthy hatchlings three days later. The parents are busy now getting food, mainly insects, and guarding their offspring. On the photo above the male Bluebird sits guard in the beautiful Bur oak nearby. It will be another 20 days of so before the hatchlings are ready to fledge. You can follow the week-by-week monitoring summaries HERE.

Doris Dubielzig, always ready for an adventure with a strong cause, made special plans for this Earth Day week, in lieu of the 50th year Earth Day conference that had been planned for the Monona Terrace. Doris reports:

"My husband, Dick Dubielzig, and I met the young naturalist and Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Board Member, Olympia Mathiaparanam, at the entrance to Picnic Point at 5:45 am this morning. Olympia had scraped frost from her windshield, and the thermometer still read in the mid-30s. I was glad for my long underwear and down jacket. We walked down the quiet path toward the end of the Point to observe the sunrise in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Fifty years ago, on the first Earth Day, observers gathered an hour earlier, at 4:45 am and greeted the sunrise at Picnic Point with readings from Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Henry David Thoreau and religious texts. Our group of 3 paled in comparison, but complied with the restrictions on organized gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
​On our way, Olympia pointed out with pleasure a solitary grebe floating close to the lakeshore, and an osprey perched on a high branch overlooking University Bay. She conscientiously entered her bird sightings into eBird through her cellphone. In addition to the changed appearance of the path and woods due to the dawn’s dim light, we noted the fresh stumps from the many ash trees that had been removed since I last walked the trail. When we reached the grand fire circle at the end, a vast cloudless sky appeared above us. At 6:05, on schedule, the sun’s rim appeared above the horizon on the far side of Lake Mendota. As the sun rose, the light strengthened and its rays warmed the appearance of all they touched. Fifty years earlier, Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson proclaimed, “Our goal…is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all living creatures.”* What better place to appreciate Earth’s biodiversity than the Lakeshore Nature Preserve at this time."
 
* http://www.nelsonearthday.net/earth-day/4-22-1970.php

The group sighted the following bird. Also see our BLOG page with recent photos of many of these in the bay and along Picnic Point Path

On a lovely Sunday afternoon, Chuck Henrikson and 35 birding enthusiasts gathered to learn about and spot some feathered friends in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. 
 
Chuck first talked about owls and their diets. Owls eat rodents and other small birds. Some animal matter— like bones and hair— are not digested by the owls, so they regurgitate this in the form of a pellet! Chuck showed attendees intact pellets, as well as the individual bones taken from other owl pellets he had found. Interestingly, Chuck mentioned that the size of the pellets varies across owl species and is correlated to the size of the owl (so Barred Owls tend to make larger pellets than Eastern Screech Owls for example). Chuck also showed attendees some feathers from Wisconsin birds and discussed properties of these feathers (like how some bird species have wing feathers that are frayed on the edge to allow birds to travel silently through the air). 

Throughout the field trip, seven bird species were spotted: Hairy Woodpeckers (2 males), Downy Woodpeckers (1 male, 1 female), Herring Gulls (2), White-breasted Nuthatches (2), Black-capped Chickadees (3), Northern Cardinal (1), and a beloved Barred Owl (1)! Chuck also informed attendees about resources like eBird where you can upload your birding lists and contribute to citizen science efforts to track bird species’ temporal movements in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, Wisconsin, and beyond! ​Report and photos by the Friends host Olympia Mathiaparanam

Early last year, Olympia Mathiaparanam, Board Member, had the idea that we could harness the power of the humanities in inspiring connection to nature. The “It’s in Our Nature” open mic event held in the BioCommons in the Steenbock Library on Thursday, February 25 was the result of that idea. We asked Robin Chapman, poet, Emeritus faculty of the UW-Madison, and Friends member, to be the Master of Ceremony and featured poet. Robin has written ten books of nature-inspired poetry and has received recognition and honors for her work including the 2010 Appalachia Poetry Prize, and a Wisconsin Arts Board Literary Arts Fellowship. Robin, Olympia, and Lillian Tong, also a Board Member, met together to plan the details around this experimental initiative months in advance. Because of the need to reach a broader audience than our usual field trips, the team created and distributed posters around campus and in local coffee shops and establishments. 

On Sunday, 23 Friends and visitors met at the entrance to Picnic Point. Dr. Tom Bryan, program manager of the Greenhouse Learning Community and recent Ph.D. graduate of the UW Nelson Institute, led the walk along the Lakeshore Path to the newest residence hall on UW Madison's campus, Leopold. Near the shore, Ice fishermen huddled over their holes while a few cold hardy waterfowl swam in the open water near Willow Creek.

Upon arrival at the residence hall, Dr. Bryan went over some of the interesting design aspects of the relatively new dorm and what having an LEED-certified building actually means. Ultimately, the building was designed with sustainability in mind, but like many "sustainable" products the building is not without its shortcomings and impacts. Dr. Bryan tasks his students with using the building and its community of other environmentally-oriented students as a resource to involve themselves in their broader communities and create the best environmental outcomes that they can. The Friends and field trip participants toured the state-of-the-art rooftop greenhouse and learned about how the students use the space in pursuit of their diverse academic interests and campus connections. The Greenhouse Learning Community provides roots for students as they move through their college education, bringing an environmental consciousness with them. Hopefully, the Leopold Residence Hall will continue to live up to its name for future generations of students as well." Report and photo by the Friends host Matt Chotlos.
​

A small group of hardy participants joined Prof. Dan Vimont as he told the “stories” of how Climate Change is affecting  natural areas in Wisconsin and the Preserve and our everyday lives, as well. From warming trout streams to decreasing snow pack, changing lake levels and extreme weather, the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI, https://www.wicci.wisc.edu) helps people understand how climate change is affecting Wisconsin. One of the ways WICCI does this is through telling stories. 

On a beautiful, uncharacteristically warm day shortly before Christmas, 26 people joined our leaders, Doris Dubielzig and Paul Noeldner, on a “Sentimental Journey” onto Picnic Point.  
 
Doris led the first part, telling stories of the history of Picnic Point. At the stone wall by the entrance, we looked at the variety of rocks carried by the most recent glacier to Southern Wisconsin, and which Picnic Point landowner Edward Young had made into a wall as a wedding gift for his bride in 1925. We walked past Bill’s Woods to the site of the Youngs’ house, on a hill that had a beautiful view of Lake Mendota. We looked for, and found, pavers that remained after that house was destroyed in a fire in 1935.  Following the path toward University Bay, the group fanned out, as the birders identified and pointed out birds they sighted to the attendees who stayed near them. One of the best things about the Friends’ field trips is how willing people are to share their expertise, and the 4th Sunday outings attract expert birders to this Important Birding Area. Pam and R. Dion Carmona, from Chicago, who were visiting a relative at UW Hospital, found our trip listed on the internet. They generously identified numerous bird species, and compiled the bird list below. We caught up with Doris near the two conical effigy mounds built by the Late Woodland people. She related some of the history of the Native Americans who originally lived on the shores of Lake Mendota,  and she read an excerpt of Madison Mayor Augustus Bird’s 1847 speech about the removal of the Indians from their lands around Lake Mendota.  

In the meantime, Paul Noeldner pulled a wagon directly to Fire Circle #2. He carted spotting scopes and binoculars, hot chocolate, materials for s’mores, his brass tenor horn, and topped the load with a Christmas tree held on with bungee cords. When we joined Paul, he had set up and trained the spotting scopes onto University Bay and was starting a fire. Paul invited children to decorate  the Christmas tree with Audubon “singing birds”. He also brought poster boards with the lyrics to “Here We Come A Wassailing” in many languages, and engaged passersby to join our group in singing as he played the horn.  Since it was a beautiful day, there were many people walking to Picnic Point who stopped to sing, sip hot chocolate, and look through the spotting scopes and binoculars at the hundreds of birds on the ice and open water. Paul estimates that 10-15 people, in addition to those on the sign-up sheet, either came with him to the campfire directly or joined him shortly thereafter.
 
On University Bay, we saw tundra swans, mallard ducks, common goldeneye ducks, bufflehead ducks, common merganser, ring-billed gulls, an immature eagle who sat for a long time on the ice eating prey, American coot, Red-breasted merganser, Redhead duck, Gadwall duck, American wigeon, and Lesser scaup. Earlier on our walk through the wooded part of the trail, we saw Red-tailed hawks, Rough-legged hawk, Downy woodpecker, Black-capped chickadee, Canada geese flying in formation, Blue jay, American crow, White-breasted nuthatch, Sandhill cranes, and American goldfinch.
 
Participants were invited to share on post-it notes their favorite parts or memories of the Preserve:

• *I have fond memories of Paddles from Willow Beach around the shoreline.  We saw birds, turtles, lilies, carp, and my wife’s favorite— liverworts— under Shorewood homes.
• *Many people to share our afternoon at Picnic Point viewing birds
• *I grew up going to Picnic Point with my family. I remember picnics in the fire ring, the pump, my first Great Horned Owl.
• *Like to see all the people enjoying the nature right in the city.

Report and by Friends host Lillian Tong. Photos by Paul Noeldner.

At the October Board meeting, Doris Dubielzig, past Board president, was celebrating a significant birthday with the group. Laura Wyatt, Preserve program manager, shared a letter, which included a donation honoring Doris to the Preserve Endowment Fund by her son Richard. Doris' daughter Sonia honored her mother with a donation to the Friends of the Preserve. On the photo from left, sitting: Sarah Condon, newsletter design and production, Doris, field trip coordinator, Paul Noeldner, 4th Sunday field trips. Standing, from left: Seth McGee, vice president and Prairie Partner internship coordinator, Gisela Kutzbach, webmaster and membership, Olympia Mathiaparanam, outreach, MJ Morgan, newsletter editor, Lillian Tong, outreach and nominations, Matt Chotlos, lake monitoring, Steve Sentoff, president and Preserve steward, Eve Emshwiller, communication and publicity, Laura Wyatt, Steve Sellwood, treasurer, Katherine, guest, and Paul Quinlan, secretary. Absent Tom Bryan. 

Back by popular demand, Geologist ​Dave Mickelson pictured for a group of more than twenty participants the glaciers that were in the Four Lakes area 25,000 years ago and their effects on the landscape. As the photos attest, It was a chilly and overcast fall day, but the walk with him from the Lake Mendota shore at Raymer’s Cove up to the vistas in Eagle Heights Woods warmed everyone internally, and Dave's fascinating stories of geological processes, backed up with maps, charts and handouts kept everyone's attention. 

​Throughout the walk, Dave made an effort to identify and describe the three classes of rocks which are all present in the Preserve: sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Through his provided descriptions, Dave was able to help attendees piece together a small part of the Preserve’s history. 
 
Sedimentary rock: Dave pointed out Cambrian sandstone which lays along the edge of Lake Mendota. It is approximated to be between 500 and 600 million years old and also probably has some calcium carbonate from organisms that became trapped between the layers of this rock. Another sedimentary rock found at the tops of the hills in Raymer’s Cove is a light-colored calcium-magnesium-carbonate rock known as dolomite. Interestingly, the dolomite can sometimes have gaps filled with a substance called “chert”. Chert is another sedentary, silicone-dioxide rock which is produced from microorganisms like algae. Dave mentioned a mechanism to explain why we sometimes find chert sandwiched between dolomite layers: imagine a decaying trilobite that will become integrated into the dolomite… trilobite decaying is an acidic process which causes the silicon based dolomite to crystalize  and aggregate in a particular way that allows spaces in the dolomite to form—where chert can eventually fill in!
 
Igneous rock: In the Preserve, igneous rocks are what geologists would call “erratic rocks” or a rock that is assumed to have been brought over via glaciers. A common igneous rock found in the Preserve is the basalt rock—a very dark-colored rock with high levels of iron and magnesium. 
 
Metamorphic rock: Like igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks are also considered erratic rocks in the Preserve. These rocks have a “gneissic texture” which refers to how the lighter and darker colored rocks appear to separate in a pattern— an arrangement which occurs when the rocks’ arrangement changes due to exposure to intense heating. 

Dave also told attendees how the Wisconsin landscape has been shaped by glaciers. With posters in hand which depicted the Wisconsin Glacier, Dave showed the terrain differences between the region that escaped glaciated (the “Driftless area”) and the regions covered by glaciers. Additional provided handouts illustrated the lasting geologic impressions left by the Wisconsin glacier in the Southern Wisconsin area: kettles, eskers, moraines, and drumlins galore are scattered across the land. 
 
Finally, Dave also distributed the free booklet, Landscapes of Dane County, Wisconsin, authored by him, and produced by the WI Geological and Natural History Survey, 2007. Report and Photos by Olympia Mathiaparanam.