Deer Activity on the Rise Through a Transition on the Marsh

A mature doe ventures out along one of our property lines. Whitetail numbers are strong in the area, but deer behavior
in a marsh is unique to deer habits in a woodlot or amidst traditional agricultural land

The last week has brought much more seasonable temps (30s to 50ish) and finally a bit more pop to autumn colors that were -- until now -- pretty muted by temperatures 10-20 degrees above average. With steely skies and temperatures in the 30s, it felt like Halloween yesterday. And it certainly feels like November today.

The deer got the memo. Our motion cameras -- set-up, in part, to monitor for trespassing* -- have picked up a lot more four-legged traffic these last couple weeks. And if history is any guide, the rut (the annual pursuit of does by bucks) should be in full swing in the next week or so. I, along with a few close friends and family members, do archery hunt the property. But I've found there is a whole new learning curve when hunting in and around an expansive marsh. There are plenty of places to hide . . . and deer have no hesitation swimming to seclusion. In fact, it's somewhat of a rarity that we even see deer during much of the season. And when we do, it's just as apt to be in the water. I've even had them wade right through my decoys during a duck hunt. Pretty surreal.

I watched four mature bucks pursue a solitary doe on my drive home from dropping my son at school this morning. Now that duck season is temporarily closed (as of this past Sunday night and until November 11), I can shift my pursuits. I hope to "get in the tree" (into my tree stand) over the next few days.

The "break" or the "split" between open waterfowl seasons gives us a chance to fine-tune our water levels and take care of a few odds and ends. But the field season is largely winding down. Today, I worked on cataloging my regular photo-documentation efforts -- literally thousands of individual frames (see examples below). I will take my monthly monitoring photos the next time the sun shines (maybe Friday), and continue to transition toward inside work and winter pursuits (planning, design, grant writing, etc.). As with nature, our efforts are seasonal and cyclical.

The eastern end of the "Center Unit" of the East Marsh that we just sold to the neighbors, pre-restoration -- October 2016

One year later: a comparable perspective, after strategic water level manipulation -- October 2017;
the resulting diversity and quality of the vegetation in this area surpassed our expectations

* NOTE: I mention trespassing above. Fortunately, we have not had to deal with too much in terms of unwelcome (human) guests, at least on the majority of the property. We are dealing with a chronic littering/dumping issue on an isolated area near the village (but just outside village limits). We have frequent visits from shoreline fisherman along the roadways. Most probably just assume that the water is owned by the State. And we have had some issues with illegal ATV access. But again, this has been isolated to a specific portion of the property, and I think we have now sent the message that the property is private and that they are to stay out. I will likely speak more on this topic in the future, but suffice it to say, its a challenge. How do you keep a large site visually unaltered without running the risk of a small sub-set of the population taking advantage? All we can do is stay vigilant, be firm if we confront a trespasser, and continue to try to educate.

Walking the West Marsh

Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and others with six legs continue to be having a field day with these prolonged warm temps;
I don't know my insects very well, so I could use some help on this ID -- seemed to be a cricket (making noise with its legs
rather than wings, as hoppers do), probably 1-1/4" long, big jumper

With the sun shining (for a few hours at least) yesterday, I took the opportunity to photo monitor the West side of the property. I'm taking over 120 landscape images (monthly) for historical reference over there, but again, I could't resist capturing critters as they presented themselves. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos from the day.

We've had nearly four inches of rain in under a week with more unseasonably warm weather, so duck activity is still modest at best. But winds just shifted northeast, and we are supposed to cool off quite a bit -- at least for a day or two. By the time I drove home, the cloud cover had built up again and the temps were dropping. Afternoon highs reached the low to mid-seventies, but it was probably more like 62 by the time I got home about 6:00 last evening. That should usher some new birds down. And that's a good thing; the natives (duck hunters) are getting restless -- Opener is Saturday!

This parent trumpeter and its mate were accompanying four cygnets (young) through our newly emerging cattails in what
was millet last year; they were a ways away (~75 yards) when I took this shot, but both adults kept standing up
on muskrat hutches to keep an eye on me (Note the capture of water droplets from its bill . . . at 75+ yards!)

I like this photo because it shows several steps in restoration progress; from left to right: the water is up against the newly
installed stone protection in preparation for duck season; the middle of the image not only shows the heart of the new dike
(last year's effort), but newly emerging grass -- finally popping after all this water; and the right side shows the reds of a
bumper crop of smartweed -- a fowl-friendly food source that pioneered after the millet and will further 
encourage the proliferation of sustaining perennials like bulrush and cattail

Sights and Sounds of the Season

Two of the eleven trumpeter swans I got to watch as I worked my way around our eastern-most unit yesterday
(click to enlarge and enjoy the detail)

I love days like yesterday. After I assisted with the breakfast and day prep routine, my wife and kids were on the road to school. I got through my emails, ran through the snail mail, paid a couple bills, and was out the door not long after. A couple quick errands (to buy grass seed and pick up a trimmer part) prolonged my commute to work by a few minutes each, but by just after 9:00, I was at our field office.

The color pallet of sumac is typically an early indicator that more
leaf change is not far off

The day started with a Mule tour on the west side. I was pleased because I was finally able to show a friend from our church around the property a bit. Our schedules kept conflicting, so it was good to make it happen. While the cloud cover held on longer than had been forecast, and despite the fact that wildlife viewing was very modest (because we had punters prepping duck blinds in the marsh), he really seemed to enjoy himself.

After a little tire kicking around the bunkhouse, he was on his way home, and I was on to an afternoon of photodocumentation on the East Marsh. Besides the primary objective of gathering regular reference photos from the exact same vantage points and orientations at dozens of locations around the property, this discipline also affords me the unique opportunity to walk portions of the marsh with a camera in my hand -- and if I'm lucky, with very little distraction.

Black-legged Meadow Katydid;
sound familiar?

The photos included here were all taken as part of my broader efforts with the camera. So in addition to gathering great reference imagery on a landscape scale (for comparison through time as the habitat evolves), this monthly exercise has served as an informal way to build a timely photo journal.

From the changing leaves of staghorn sumac (above) to the intricate detail and familiar sounds of autumn insects (left and below), there is no doubt that we are once again in the midst of a major transition. Temperatures (70s and even 80s) have been summer-like, but the evidence of a new season is everywhere.

An additional fringe benefit of a few dedicated hours with a camera is that I can take reference photos of native plants. This time of year, I'm particularly interested in those that flower -- and eventually go to seed. If the plant is something that we see benefit in having more of on the property, I will often capture a GPS location of larger stands (both on-site and at other locations regionally). Assuming permission, I can then come back and collect seed that can be redistributed for our project.

The asters below are good examples both of a sign of the times (flowering asters in Ohio = autumn) and of native species that are desirable -- in this case, in the sense that they attract pollinators (not to mention they are beautiful). SIDEBARS: (1) I love how I can be taking a closeup photo of a plant or animal, and then find that I was inadvertently capturing other plants or animals in the frame (see below); (2) Asters can actually get pretty aggressive/invasive, so introduce them into a landscape with caution.

This image is like a Where's Waldo for insects -- can you find three?
Click to enlarge for a closer look

This little pollinator, which I believe is some type of hover fly, was kind
enough to pose again on a choice backdrop

I'll close this post with a vibrant image of a Differential Grasshopper -- a common species that was literally about
everywhere in the tall grasses yesterday; per usual, I love how this camera can capture the detail -- in this case,
not just of the insect, but also of the burdock leaf he is loafing on

Good News for the Newly Rehabbed West Marsh Dike

West Marsh Photo Location #14A, facing northwest
(Click to enlarge and then click quickly through the series to gain a panoramic view)

West Marsh Photo Location #14B, facing northeast

West Marsh Photo Location #14C, facing east

West Marsh Photo Location #14D, facing southeast

West Marsh Photo Location #14E, facing southwest

West Marsh Photo Location #14F, facing northwest

The six images above represent a single photo location recently established on the West Marsh. This specific site is positioned on the center of the dike that was rehabilitated last summer. The best way to gain perspective is to click on the top image and then "scroll" through all six from left to right. If physically (or electronically) interwoven this provides a 360-degree view from the established vantage point.

I chose to post these particular images for a couple reasons. First, it offers an example of what I've been working on over several recent days in the marsh. Twenty-four similar photo locations have been established on the East Marsh, each marked with a hardwood stake driven into the ground. This way, we can return to the exact same locations at regular (e.g. monthly) intervals and capture photos of the exact same perspectives over time. Not all photo locations have a full 360-degree vista (in fact, very few do), so I think we have something like 60 discrete images captured as reference on the East Marsh. I am only about half way through the West Marsh, and the way it's looking we could have something more like forty photo locations and 100+ individual photo perspectives.

It's a lot of work, but I'm confident that gathering these "baseline" photos will be very valuable as the months and years pass. Whenever possible, I've established formal photo locations in spots where I've already been capturing photos over the last 2.5 field seasons. In many cases, the changes are profound even over a series of months. It's already amazing to compare 2015 to 2016 to 2017. That fun will continue into the future. It's very gratifying to see the positive physical changes through time.

The other reason that I chose to include the series above is that it is tied to some good news that we received yesterday. For the second year in a row, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife's Private Lands program has selected Standing Rush as the recipient of their largest restoration grant. We found out definitively yesterday that they are doubling down on the earthwork that they helped fund last year (the dike restoration in the images above) and are going to provide additional money so that we can armor and protect the investment. Their contribution will cover more than 50% of the total project cost.

Essentially, we will be placing "D-rock" (softball to melon-sized limestone) along as much as 3,500-linear feet of the new dike to protect against wind and wave erosion. Most of the work will take place along the ~3,000' south bank (the one that has standing water on it in the photos), but we may also choose to rip rap a small (400-500') segment of the north-facing slope (depending on how the work goes compared to the budget).

The south slope is the most critical because it will have standing water against it much more regularly as compared to the north slope, which should support vegetation right up from the toe (base) of the dike. This is a critical management step not only because it will protect the dike that allows for crucial water level manipulation. It will also allow us to hold more water in the main South Unit -- thus reducing the impact and prevalence of Phragmites and other invasive species.

We are very appreciative of Private Lands continued support and look forward to getting the project underway. If all goes well, we'll be protected by the end of next month!

Formal Photodocumentation

What's cooler than capturing this level of detail of a white water lily in bloom from 25 yards?
Realizing after the fact that a fly had a much closer view!

I spent much of the day today tackling a task that I've said I would do for over two years now: I established "permanent" photo locations via 4' oak stakes strategically placed in nineteen locations around the East Marsh. I then labeled each according to a newly created reference map and took a series of photos from each location. The ~55 photos will be printed and assembled in a 3-ring binder for reference so that photos from the exact same location and vantage point can be collected on a regular (e.g. monthly basis). Tomorrow, I will turn my attention to the West Marsh.

We have been informally following this procedure since day one. But the advantage of a more rigid system like this is that we really can visually depict landscape-scale changes through time -- both in the short-term (month-to-month) and over multiple years.

A neighboring lily from a different perspective;
note the detail in the reflection that somehow can't even
be seen in the bloom itself

The photos I took today can largely serve as the baseline for the "before" photos on the East Marsh. While there are certainly areas that have changed dramatically since we took possession of the property in early 2015 (e.g. the Tower Woods and the recently drawn-down Central Unit), much of the east side of the property has been comparably hands-off until now. Our efforts during the 2016 field season were focused largely on the West Marsh. But with Pumpzilla (our recently acquired diesel pump) tagteaming with our stationary pump for more than a week now, water levels are hitting critical new lows, and we should hopefully be able to start a new chapter of active management by the end of this week.

If everything keeps pumping for another 24-36 hours and the weather cooperates (two big "ifs"), we should achieve our primary objective of introducing Japanese millet to as much as 80 acres of newly exposed mudflat. We have 30 complete (Central Unit) and if all the stars stay aligned, we'll have 50 more flown in on Thursday morning.

While Nate and Roy continued to tend to the pumps, I not only established our photodocumentation methodology, I also took the liberty to take in the wildlife. Here's a sampling of what I saw -- through the camera, at least.

Ducklings, like these 2-3 week-old wood ducks, are a fairly common site, but they are skittish and quick,
typically making them difficult to photograph

This critter -- the double-crested cormorant -- probably deserves its own post. But for now, I'll just include it visually. While extremely common in the region and around the marsh, these water birds have also proven to be pretty camera shy. I was pleased to be able to capture this adult (left) and juvenile (right) preening on two clumps of dead loosestrife.

By contrast, this muskrat was uncharacteristically happy to pose for me in the afternoon sunshine;
he almost looked sheepish though, like he knew I didn't approve of him eating so close to the dike

This mature baldy was keeping a pretty watchful eye on me from a dead willow that almost always seems to serve as a perch for eagles;
he did let me get surprisingly close and even capture some cool video of his feathers dancing in the breeze