Management and wildlife highlights from this month included the following:
 |
| In addition to Roy's regular updates and photo-documentation, images from the property's multiple motioned-triggered trail cameras offer regular -- and refreshingly candid -- glimpses of activity on and around the marsh (like this awesome impression of a Northern Flicker). |
 |
| Northern pike trapping and tagging continued; 12 individuals were fitted with transmitters at Standing Rush by BGSU with initial assistance from the Ohio Division of Wildlife. This ~37" female was among the biggest of the 54 individuals tagged in all of the Western Basin of Lake Erie as part of this study. |
 |
| Individual fish are carefully handled for the brief period leading up to and following their surgical procedure. The transmitter is about half the size of a AA battery, should have a 2-3 year lifespan, and then will ultimately reside harmlessly inside the body cavity. |
 |
| 2-3 sutures and its time for release. |
 |
| Management Priority #1: A bent screw gate on the bayfront dike of the West Marsh (lower left) was an early discovery after ice-out. |
 |
| Within a week, Roy had a new gate fitted on the interior side of the same pipe (insuring that even if the bent gate leaked, the West Marsh would not inadvertently flood) |
 |
| Management Priority: Poison Hemlock Spraying; always scary when a plant gets a jump-start on Phragmites! We're finding this new invasive is one of the first to green-up. |
 |
| Management Priority: Phragmites Burning; we are selective in what and where we burn, but this spring practice gives us a much better feel for the condition of the dike hidden beneath last year's growth. |
 |
| Dike erosion has been a reality, especially amidst continued historic high water levels (extremely high water in the lake and bay often forces managers to keep water levels higher within the marsh to reduce damaging head pressure). |
 |
| Spot repairs as part of ongoing dike maintenance gave us the opportunity to experiment with some pretty versatile track trucks. |
 |
| And Roy's make-shift stone grading drag proved to be just the ticket to get the top of dike ready for easy management access. |
 |
| Wherever we can afford to keep water levels low within the marsh this time of year -- or nearly any time of year, for that matter -- shorebirds (like these Lesser Yellowlegs) are sure to find it. |
 |
| Marsh Mystery: What chewed the entire topside off this sizable willow branch, that in places extends 5' or more off the water? |
 |
| Our guess would be a groundhog, but muskrat or beaver are not out of the question. |