 On Saturday, January 12 David Drake from Forest and Wildlife Ecology led a group of about 20 participants on a tour about the winter wildlife in the Preserve. Due to the lack of snow, we weren't able to view animal tracks, but David described the birds and mammals that resided here in winter. He also showed us his trapping site for the Urban Canid project he has been leading. They are using road-killed deer as bait for trapping coyotes and foxes to be radio-collared and tracked for the study. One particularly interesting result so far has been that in open areas, coyotes will drive away foxes to reduce competition for food, but in our urban area the two species co-exist. This seems to be because there are plenty of resources for both. Another result has been that foxes tend to have less incidence of heartworm and Lyme disease, which are transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. Foxes are usually in closer association with human habitation (often tracked in people's yards) and apparently benefit from human attempts to kill mosquitoes and ticks. Report and photo by Friends host Steve Sentoff
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 Under cloudy skies, Master Naturalist Paul Noeldner greeted holiday visitors to the Preserve with hot chocolate at the entrance to Picnic Point. The temperature hovered at freezing. After hearing an overview of winter bird activity, the group of 18 began the walk down the peninsula to Fire Circle #2. Chuck Keleny, a regular on the 4th Sunday walks, placed his spotting scope along the shore of University Bay, where attendees could see the beautiful tundra swans that have populated the Bay for the past several weeks. Paul explained that the swans will continue to feast on the plants in the Bay until it freezes over. Then the birds will resume their migration to the Chesapeake Bay region of the East Coast. A few mergansers, mallards and downy woodpeckers were also sighted. With a lovely fire at Fire Circle #2, Paul treated the group to marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars to make S’mores. After blowing a short introduction on his tuba, Paul led the some of the group in singing carols, while others studied the wildlife on Lake Mendota. The outing was an opportunity to pause and enjoy the Preserve during this festive time of the year. Report and photos by Friends host Doris Dubielzig |
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Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve
P.O. Box 5534 Madison, WI 53705 UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve website Documents |
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