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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
With the continued mild spring weather, most areas of Wisconsin are reporting that many spring events are occurring as much as a month early from most years. Lake ice is gone from most lakes even in the far north. Walleye runs on rivers are peaking or nearly over in many areas when they would normally just be starting in many years. Walleye spawning on northern lakes is already well underway and Chippewa Indian tribes have begun spearing. Many spring ephemeral flowers are and blooming and cherry and crab apple trees are blossoming. Sandhill cranes are doing mating displays and tom turkeys are displaying and gobbling. Frogs, turtles and salamanders have emerged.
The walleye run on the Wolf River and throughout the Lake Winnebago System came early and fast and walleyes have begun making their way back to the lakes. Prime spawning activity lasted just a couple days. On the Wisconsin River the walleye run is in full swing below the Nekoosa Dam to the Petenwell Flowage, but is about complete below the Wisconsin Dells dam with many fish showing back up in Lake Wisconsin. Walleye runs are near peak on the Menominee and Peshtigo rivers in the northeast.
The ice is now out on Lake Superior and people are preparing for smelt fishing which opens April 1. Lake Superior anglers have been capitalizing on early warm weather and ice out bringing in some good catches of trout and salmon from along the south shore. Strong numbers of steelhead were still being caught on the Lake Michigan tributaries in Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Sheboygan counties. Rain in the last week had tributaries in the south running high and muddy, but good numbers of anglers were still fishing the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Root rivers and Oak and Sauk creeks, but success has decreased in recent days.
While the game season is closed on many inland lakes, anglers have been having some good early success for crappie and bluegill especially in the southern and southeastern lakes. White bass and suckers are running and providing some very good action and dip netting.
Chorus frogs and spring peepers had been very active, but quieted down with the cool spell. Salamanders are emerging now as well. Painted and Blanding’s turtles have been seen sunning themselves on rocks or logs. Coyote pups are being born this time of year in burrows and red fox pups may already be here.
Pasque flowers, marsh marigold, Dutchman's britches, bloodroot and hepatica are blooming. May apples and prairie smoke are emerging.
The recent record warm temperatures across the state and region have resulted in a large number of early records for bird migration and this week early nest records were reported for killdeer and wild turkey, both species weeks ahead of a typical nest initiation date. Ruffed and spruce grouse are drumming and displaying in the north and prairie-chickens are displaying at leks in central Wisconsin. The large numbers of snowy owls that wintered in Wisconsin are now leaving the state for the arctic, with multiple snowy owls reported this week at Ashland and 10 seen at the Oconto harbor.
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