Motus Wildlife Tracking Tower Is Up and Running at Goose Pond

Mark first learned of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, “The world’s  largest collaborative automated radio telemetry array,” in the fall of 2018 while visiting Cedar Grove Ornithological Station along Lake Michigan. Since 1950, researchers have banded around 44,000 raptors at the station with metal bands. Recovery data from the bands comes from other banding sites that trap banded birds or if someone finds and reports a banded bird. Overall the recovery rate is very low from banded birds.   

Ideally, wildlife could be tracked in migration and the Motus tracking system allows for tracking stations to record when radio tagged wildlife, mostly birds that fly within about 7.5 miles (or in the area up to 175 square mile circle surrounding the tower) of the tracking tower.  

Tracking wildlife is much easier when they can simply fly past to be recorded! The new Motus tower will achieve that, once birds are tagged. Photo by Monica Hall

Birds Canada took the lead on erecting the original Motus tower system and working with scientists to have wildlife fitted with radio telemetry. When a tagged individual triggers a “tag report,” the data is stored in an on-site computer. The encrypted data is downloaded every three months to Birds Canada and they report results to the tracking station and scientists.

An example of knowledge gained was from a fall migration study of warblers looking at stopover locations along the east coast. They learned the major fall stopover migration locations and that some warblers would fly south along the coast, refuel, then fly north before turning around and heading south.

From the Motus Wildlife Tracking System: “Motus is the world’s largest collaborative automated radio telemetry array. Motus is the central hub for detection data from more than 935 receiving stations as well as metadata from stations (e.g. location, deployment dates, height, antenna bearing) and tags (e.g. species, location and date deployed). Data from across the network is then provided to researchers and a condensed version shared with the public.”

Here are links to their website that includes an informational video, by the numbers, tracking data for some species, map showing the receivers locations, and numbers of wildlife tagged.

A team works on erecting the Madison Audubon Motus tower at Goose Pond Sanctuary. Photo by Mark Martin

Our very own Motus tower

The Madison Audubon Motus tracking tower is located at Hopkins Road Prairie, the highest point within Goose Pond Sanctuary. The tower was activated on July 22, 2020.

This was an involved project with many parts. Bill Mueller, retired Director from the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, provided guidance to get us started. The Observatory is coordinating placement of Motus towers in southern and eastern Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin contact with Birds Canada. Our tower is the 10th motus tower in Wisconsin! Hopefully many more towers will come on line in the next few years.

The first part of the project was fundraising. Curt and Arlys Caslavka and James  E. Dutton Foundation provided major funding along with additional funding from Madison Audubon.

Once funding was secured we were fortunate to have volunteer Don Schmidt, metal artist for Wingspan, secure the metal, weld and coordinate erection of the tower from securing the base in three feet of cement to erecting the 21-foot pipe. Volunteer Chip Plummer, electrician, assisted with hooking up the solar panel, battery, grounding rod and computer. Graham Steinhauer assisted with all phases of the project along with Tanner Pettit, summer intern who was also pleased to be involved. 

As more towers are erected, more research projects will be using the Motus tracking system. We look forward to providing you with tracking data. Thanks to the donors, Graham, volunteers, Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, and Birds Canada for helping with the project.

Written by Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin, Goose Pond Sanctuary resident managers

All photos by Mark Martin

Goose Pond Sanctuary Butterfly Count 2020

The Mud Lake North American Butterfly Count, coordinated for over 30 years by Karl and Dorothy Legler is in the record books.  

This was the seventh year that Madison Audubon volunteers  counted at Goose Pond Sanctuary and Erstad Prairie as part of the Mud Lake Count.

Hopefully, this will be the first and last count conducted in a pandemic. We would never have guessed in a million years that a world wide virus would occur and we would be social distancing and wearing masks during the count. NOTE: We are not showing any photos of butterfly masked-bandits with their masks on.

This year we set a record with 23 participants (16 high in the past), in the number of 20 species (19) and a high of 56 northern crescents (53). Participants ranged in age from 8 to 70 years old. We were glad to have the Hasburgh family on the count and were pleased to learn that sons Fletcher and Ranger studied up on their butterflies the day before. Fourteen of the participants were in their 20s and 30s. 

Two new species were added to the list, the silver-spotted skipper and the banded hairstreak. The silver-spotted skipper has been seen before at Goose Pond but not on the official count.

Graham photographed the hairstreak and identified it from the Butterflies of the North Woods by Larry Weber as a hickory hairstreak. Other hairstreaks look similar and the photo was sent to “butterfly referee” Karl Legler who made the call of a banded hairstreak. We would like to see the name changed to the oak hairstreak because the banded hairstreak caterpillar feeds exclusively on oaks. This individual was found in the bur oak savanna above the west pond.  Next year we will have to remember to check the oak savanna and break our record of one individual. The adults feed on sumac, common and swamp milkweeds, sweet clovers and dogwoods.  

We try to conduct the count the first week in July and find that butterfly numbers can vary greatly year to year. This year we found 2 red admirals (55 last year), 91 common wood-nymphs (8), 191 clouded sulphurs (4) and 72 black swallowtails (4). The full list of species and their counts found this year and since 2014 are in the table shown at the bottom of this post.

Photos from left to right, top to bottom: Clouded sulphur by Richard Armstrong | Summer azure by Richard Armstrong | Banded hairstreak by Graham Steinhauer | Wood nymph by Peter Gorman | Northern crescent by Patrick Hasburgh | Red admiral by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren | Hickory hairstreak by Peter Gorman | Black swallowtail by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren | Monarchs by Arlene Koziol

We were pleased when Topf Wells and the Hasburghs reported 53 monarch butterflies from 16 acres at Erstad Prairie. Two hundred and seven monarchs were found compared to 107 in 2019. Last year we had a record monarch migration and tagged 2,100 at Goose Pond. Monarch numbers were low in June but picked up in the first half of July. Hopefully monarch numbers will be high again in fall migration.  

THANK YOU to everyone who came out on a hot day to survey for butterflies. We are looking forward to the count next July and hope that masks and social distancing will not be required.

Written by Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin, Goose Pond Sanctuary resident managers

Cover photo: banded hairstreak on daisy fleabane, photo by Emma Raasch

Henslow's Sparrow

The Henslow's sparrow is a small songbird with a dull brown body and a streaked breast. This bird is restricted to open habitats, typically grasslands, of the midwest and northeast. Over winter, Henslow's sparrows spend their time in longleaf pine and bog habitats of the southern US. The pairing of globally rare breeding and wintering habitat makes the bird rare across its range. Endangered in seven states and threatened in Wisconsin, the Henslow's sparrow would seem a banner bird for grassland conservation.

The inconspicuous Henslow’s sparrow, photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Yet, the Henslow's sparrow lacks the iconic status of the dickcissel or meadowlark. The sparrow's understated plumage and faint call—a simple tsillik—undercut its zealous heaves. David Sibley describes the call as a “feeble hiccup.” Additionally, the bird is notoriously difficult to spot. Hiding in a dense accumulation of litter a Henslow's sparrow will whistle its call, unseen. If approached, the bird often flees on foot, its brown feathers matching the dullness of a few year's foliage.

The nest resides on or near the ground, where the female incubates eggs for approximately 11 days. Chicks will occupy the nest for about 9 days, being fed a diet of grasshoppers and caterpillars.

A Faville Grove prairie may be the perfect place for a Henslow’s sparrow to nest. Madison Audubon photo

As far as managing for Henslow's habitat, the birds present an interesting dilemma. On one hand, Henslow's sparrows need two to three years of litter accumulation in order to breed in an area. Conversely, the birds tolerate a low amount of brush and need dense stands of grass for suitable habitat.

Burning will maintain the open habitat and stimulate grasses, but the sparrows dislike nesting in recently burned areas.

A patchwork of burning, like we have here at Faville Grove, can encourage Henslow's Sparrows to nest in an area.  Areas with multiple years of standing dead vegetation provide cover and nesting areas for these discrete birds. Recently burned prairie provides good foraging habitat, and the dense cover of new growth can hide fledgling chicks.

A joyfully singing Henslow’s sparrow, photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

This past week, the interns and I stumbled upon a Henslow's sparrow in the sanctuary. We first heard the calls of dozens of other birds, eventually focusing in on the Henslow's repetitive calls. Standing in a field of smooth brome, the calls seemed bromidic, or trite. As we sat there for five minutes, the bird finally emerged onto a cup plant and hoisted its unenthusiastic call our way. The bird may not be a banner for conservation, but it belts out its calls oblivious to human concerns, happily perched on a cup plant.

Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward

Willow Flycatcher, "The Little Green Bird"

Willow flycatcher photo by Arlene Koziol

The willow flycatcher is one of our favorite shrubland birds and is easy to identify with the males distinctive fitz-bew call. The willow, alder, and least flycatchers are very difficult to identify when they are not calling.

John James Audubon first discovered the Traill’s flycatcher and named it after his friend Thomas Traill. Ornithologists later split the Traill’s species into two: the willow and alder based on their song and habitat requirements.  

Robert (Bob) McCabe, UW-Madison Wildlife Professor published The Little Green Bird - Ecology of the Willow Flycatcher in 1991 with “original ink drawings by Steve Hovel”. Only 750 copies were published, and we are fortunate to have copy number 104 signed by Bob. You can still find these books for sale online, but it’ll cost you a pretty penny ($155 for new and $72 for used).

In the 1940’s Bob McCabe was researching the winter ecology of the ring-necked pheasant at the UW-Arboretum. He was looking for a research project in the summer and decided on studying the willow flycatcher at the Arboretum. His mentor was Aldo Leopold and his last sentence in the book is, “Now that it is ended, I wonder what A.L. would have said?” We believe A. L. would have really liked the research study that uncovered all aspects of the willow flycatcher’s breeding ecology. Bob was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 1999 and bio information included, “His book about the Willow Flycatcher, The Little Green Bird is a classic example of using a single species to teach ecology.”

Bob called the willow flycatcher the ‘little green bird’ because beginning bird watchers tend to “classify all but the most colorful birds as ‘little brown birds’ or ‘little green birds’, this is the story of a Little Green Bird.”  When Bob began he probably did not think that this would be a 40 year plus study.  

Study Results: The 171-page book goes into detail on all aspects of the ecology of the willow flycatcher and we are highlighting some of the data.

Spring Arrival: Sixty years of data records from his study and Wisconsin Society for Ornithology found that willow flycatchers arrive in Madison between May 1 and May 29th with the average being May 15.

Habitat: “The prime aspect of WF habitat is the presence of bushes or small trees.” And “the willow flycatcher is a bird of swamps or permanently wet marsh,” but Bob pointed out that they can live in uplands with scattered shrubs or thickets.

Singing willow flycatcher. Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

Calling time: Males can call during the day especially in the peak of breeding season but Bob found that they call most frequently just after sunset and end after civil twilight during the months of June and July.

The Nest Bush: The study found an impressive number of 619 nests. Nests were found 58% of the time in elderberries, 26% in red-osier dogwoods and only 3% in willows. Bob mentioned after the name was changed to willow flycatcher, “which in southern Wisconsin is a poor choice since there is no apparent link of the bird to willow in any form.” Most nests were about four feet off the ground. Bob and his assistant conducted many types of measurements and found that elderberries provided greater concealment from predators, weather and sunlight.

Native shrubs of elderberry (left) and red-osier dogwood (right) volunteer at Goose Pond Sanctuary. Photo by Arlene Koziol

Nests: Fine and coarse fibers from marsh or red milkweed stems from the previous year is a favorite plant that is used to build nests. The average clutch size is about 3.5 eggs per nest and about 9% of the nests are parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds.

Nest Density: The study found that on average there were 1.2 willow flycatcher nests per acre, a very high density. 

Many people over the years helped with the flycatcher project and Bob wrote in his acknowledgement, “I am most indebted to the assistants with whom I shared the field exercise.” Arnold S. Jackson, Jr. was the first person listed and probably worked on this project more than anyone besides Bob. There are only two close-up photos in the book of people and both were of Arnold measuring the height of vegetation. Arnold was a special friend to Madison Audubon and to Goose Pond Sanctuary in particular — you’ll hear more about him soon.

Willow flycatcher photo by Arlene Koziol

We enjoyed reading, “On several occasions one of my assistants (Arnold S. Jackson, Jr.) and I spent the night in the marsh study area to record early morning song of the WF and to check on night singing of other marsh-nesting birds. To avoid insects and to stay above the damp marsh floor, we strung two (W.W. II) jungle hammocks between the support poles of our observation tower. So comfortable and pleasant was this exercise that we had to keep waking each other in order to maintain continuous records. In this keep-awake effort, we were not entirely successful. The hum of frustrated mosquitoes outside the netting produced a satisfying and lulling effect on two tired field workers.”

Arnold was a frequent seed collecting volunteer at Goose Pond Sanctuary and we enjoyed getting to know him and his wife Kathern. The Jacksons sold their 150 acre farm that contained restored prairie, wetland and woodland habitat to the Fish and Wildlife Service (Jackson Waterfowl Production Area) three miles southwest of Goose Pond on Patton Road and Oak Lane. Their trust made a significant donation to Madison Audubon and that gift will be used to help purchase Judi Benade’s 70 acres west of Goose Pond.  

Sue was working in the yard one day when Steve Hovel drove up and rolled down his window to say hello. His passenger that day was Bob McCabe and they were in search of willow flycatchers. They wanted to know if the birds were calling from elderberry and dogwood shrubs in the prairies late in the day and into the evenings, and of course we had a bumper crop. Sue also sent them to Schoenberg’s Marsh and north to Mud Lake.

Looking at the recent Breeding Bird Atlas II, we find that willow flycatchers are found in the southern 2/3rds of Wisconsin.  In 18 priority blocks in Columbia County nesting was confirmed in 8 blocks with 9 blocks listed as probable or possible nesting willow flycatchers.

Under a photo of Arnold S. Jackson, Jr. measuring the height of a nest in the “nest bush,” Bob wrote, “To conserve this bird or any bird is to protect and manage its habitat.” That sums up the work we do at Goose Pond Sanctuary, as well as at Faville Grove Sanctuary, and in this organization in general. We are planting native dogwoods and elderberries at Goose Pond to increase the habitat for the little green bird. Both shrubs also volunteer in our prairies in good numbers.

Elderberry in full bloom at Goose Pond Sanctuary. Photo by Arlene Koziol

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JD’s survey for willow flycatchers had great results!

Willow Flycatcher Surveys at Goose Pond by JD Arnston

Based on these surveys, I have found that Goose Pond provides good habitat for willow flycatchers.  My initial surveys were conducted in the middle of the evening, in the range of 5-7 p.m. Based on observations from Sue Foote-Martin, I began surveying later in the evening closer to sundown, in the range of 8:00-10:00 p.m. and found that singing males were much more vocal during this later time window, with the peak of their singing activity being around 9:10 - 9:25 p.m.

I found a record of 16 males singing at Judi Benades prairie and at one stop on Kampen Road at the entrance to the Kampen Road residence where Mark and Sue live, I heard six males.

Written by Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin, Goose Pond Sanctuary resident managers, and JD Arnston, Goose Pond Volunteer