An Ectothermic Turtle

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Painted turtles are ectothermic, which means that their body temperature is dependent on that of their surroundings. You can often see them soaking up the sun on a log, rock or even a lily pad!
Photo: Basking Chrysemys picta By Katelyn Shedden/ USFWS 

#animals #reptile #turtle #nature #wildlife #wisconsin #WI 

The Mourning Cloak

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

The Mourning Cloak is one of the longest lived butterfly species. Adults live up to 10 months; overwintering as adults and mating in the spring. They may look a little dull and tattered this time of year after hibernating in cracks and crevasses in the woods!

Photo: Mourning Cloak Butterfly by Frank Ceravalo/USFWS https://flic.kr/p/bna2jc

#animals #insects #butterflies #butterfly #pollinator #nature #wildlife

#USFWS




041317

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Red-eared Slider

#Wednesday

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

We had an unexpected sighting on Sprague Pool of a red-eared slider. Did you know that red-eared sliders are not native to Wisconsin? 
For more information about Native WI turtles check out: http://wiatri.net/Inventory/WiTurtles/Turtles/ 
and for red-eared sliders that should be in the south/southeast check out:https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/red-eared-slider

Photo: Red-eared slider by Leann Wilkins/USFWS 

#animals #reptile #Turtle #wildlife #nature 

#USFWS #Wisconsin #WI 




040517 

Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

#Wednesday

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

#animals #birds #WhoopingCrane #wildlife #nature #USFWS

More than 50 whooping cranes are back at Necedah NWR! Pairs can be seen feeding around Rynearson, Goose, and Sprague Pools. 

Photo: Whooping crane courtesy of Roger Leitner 




040517

Graphite Drawing of a Pair of Canada Geese

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Announcing Wisconsin’s 2017 Best of Show for the Jr. Duck Stamp Contest! Rene Christensen, 17 of Nekoosa High School, takes top honors this year with her graphite drawing of a pair of Canada geese. Well done Rene! Best of luck to you at the National Contest on April 21 in Charleston! 

Photo of the original art work by USFWS 




033117 

Blueberry Buds

#Wednesday

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Elizabeth Appell

Photo: Blueberry Buds by Katie Goodwin/USFWS 




032917 

Bufflehead

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

#USFWS #Animal #Bird #Duck #Waterfowl

Did you know the Bufflehead, one of the smallest duck species, nests in holes excavated by Northern Flickers? Nesting in trees protects eggs from terrestrial predators.

Photo: Bufflehead by Jessica Bolser/USFWShttps://flic.kr/p/SrJsxb

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Large snags are favorite nest sites of red-headed woodpeckers. Leaving standing dead wood on your property (when it is safe to do so) provides nesting, nursing, foraging, roosting and perching sites for many species. Sometimes a tree can provide more habitat dead than alive!

Photo: Red-headed woodpecker by Debbie Koenigs/USFWS 




031717 

Field Mouse Tracks

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

#USFWS #animal #tracks

For some animals active in winter, snow can be a burden. For others like the field mouse, it provides a protective layer from predators. 

Photo: Field mouse tracks by Mara Koenig/USFWS 




030217

Blustery Tufted Titmouse

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Monday a tufted titmouse was singing its spring song. Today only a few calls have been heard. Check out their sounds at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/sounds

Photo: Blustery tufted titmouse by Katie Goodwin/USFWS 




030117

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Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator)

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

#USFWS

Did you know that Necedah NWR has not been the only refuge to help bring back the trumpeter swan? In 1932, with fewer than 70 trumpeters in existence world wide, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was established near Yellowstone National Park. 

Photo: Trumpeter swans by Katie Goodwin/USFWS 




022817 

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Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Mark your phenology journals central Wisconsin! Red-winged blackbird at Necedah NWR 2-27-17

Photo: RWBB courtesy of Marie Pierce




022717 

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

#Bird #USFWS

Have you ever watched white-breasted nuthatches cache their food? Cornell points out that in order to keep a stashed seed’s location secret a female nuthatch will try to deceive other birds. She will fly away from a seed source in an opposite direction of the cache location! 
Photo: White-breasted nuthatch by Katie Goodwin/USFWS 




022717

February’s trumpeter swans on Rynearson Pool 2

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Migratory waterfowl return to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

Photo: February’s trumpeter swans on Rynearson Pool 2 by Katie Goodwin/USFWS 




022217 

Relationships between Predator and Prey

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Yesterday sparked an interesting discussion on wolves. Here the USFWS mission is to conserve wildlife and their habitats – all of them, the diversity of them. Plants and animals that are native, struggling and thriving. Where and when appropriate we stand by our public uses of wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, interpretation, hunting and fishing. So today let’s look at predators and prey as well as the part humans play in natural resources. (Please keep it civil and productive)

Interestingly the perception persists that any species killed by a predator directly relates to one less animal available for human harvest. However, many people disregard the truth that wildlife population dynamics are far more complicated and interrelated than one for one. Evidence of that is from Van Deelen’s early analysis of WI’s predation study of 1998 – 2008 and quoted that “impacts on deer populations associated with bears and wolves are clearly minor relative to impacts associated with hunting by humans”. We also must not disregard the importance of weather and food availability for any given population level.

Nature is dynamic, human interaction in those systems create an even more complex system. Trophic levels are never stagnant. This would be the case regardless if deer were at the top of a food chain or if humans were.

Here is a little more predator/ prey science for you if you care to read.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/predators.pdf

This video might also help some to better understand how predator / prey relationships and trophic cascades are also a benefit to our ecosystem as a whole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q&feature=youtu.be

Photo: Winter wolves courtesy of Mike Gifford/ Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/rji1Hr 

Gray Wolf

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Another great sighting this morning along Headquarters Road!

Photo: Gray wolf by Ben Halverson/USFWS




022117 

Foxes Going Out for Valentine's Day

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

#USFWS

February is a great month for many couples on the refuge. Have you brought your vixen out lately? 

Photo: Fox pair courtesy of Kelly Colgan Azar/ Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/9cDrF5




021417

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Winter Jack Pine | February 13, 2017

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.
~John Muir

Photo: Winter Jack Pine by Katie Goodwin/USFWS 




021317 

Muskrat Lodge

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

Muskrats huddle together in their lodges to stay warm. Unlike their cousin the beaver, they do not store food for the winter and must forage for tubers and other marsh plants beneath the ice.

Photo: Muskrat lodge by USFWShttps://flic.kr/p/dYjBpy




021117

Headquarters Road Sunset

From Necedah National Wildlife Refuge:

The woodlands of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge are home to oak, aspen and pine; along with some birch and willows. One visitor described our forests and savannas as serendipitous.

Photo: Headquarters Road Sunset by Hanna McBrearty/USFWS 




020917