Wild goose chase

Thanks to an "all hands on deck" call for help, I was able to participate in the annual goose banding effort this week with the wildlife management crew.  The DNR biologists organize the overall effort with a lot of assistance from volunteers with the Green Bay Duck Hunters Association.  Volunteers do a lot of the scouting to find out where the geese are hanging out and assist with capturing and handling the geese.  A lot of the day involves "dashboard time" riding around in a caravan of vehicles transporting DNR staff and volunteers to various sites in the county, and then rounding up the geese upon arrival for banding.  At this time of year, the geese are molting (replacing) their feathers and are unable to fly for a short time, making it a little easier to capture them.  But boy, can they run! 

Upon arriving at a site, a long, flexible fence is set up in a strategic location, while volunteers and staff gently herd the geese into the pen (on foot or by kayak/canoe) and close them in.  Next, staff enter the pen and hand geese over the fence to volunteers who walk them over to biologist banders.  The banders identify the sex of the bird and whether it is an immature bird or adult and then place a metal band with an ID number around one of the legs.  This unique identifier indicates the bird's banding location (and in the case of the immature birds, presumably their birthplace), should it be harvested or killed later somewhere else.  The information collected can be valuable for population studies related to survival and mortality, migration and dispersal, and reproduction success (see the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory for more information).  After receiving their new bracelets, the birds are released back toward the water to go on their way.  The whole process moves fairly quickly with plenty of volunteers and 5-8 banders going at one time.

I got to participate in every aspect of the process over the course of two long days in the field, from carrying and working the fence, rounding up geese into the fence, keeping track of and handing bands to biologists, going in the pen to hand geese off to volunteers, carrying geese to the biologists, AND I even got to band and release a immature male.  Many of the volunteers were kids, so that made it neat to see how excited the kids were to help.  Several young ones stuck around for some long days and did a really good job helping.

I assisted for the first two days of the effort targeting Kewaunee (on Lake Michigan) and Outagamie (around Appleton) Counties, the neighboring counties to Green Bay.  The team rounded up and banded 428 new geese and noted 85 recaptures (geese that already had a band) over those two days, making it more than halfway to their quota of 800 birds.  After banding the following day in Brown County (around Green Bay), 850 new birds were banded at 19 different sites, reaching and exceeding the quota.  I am already looking forward to both duck and mourning dove banding later in the year!

 Rounding up the geese- this involves walking slowly to encourage the geese to walk toward the fence

 Then the fence is closed around the geese to form a pen

 Ready for some bands (black heads are adults and the fuzzy heads are immature geese)

 Biologists on the banding line

Our youngest customer is banded and ready to go

A concert at Lambeau

When I heard country artist Kenny Chesney was coming to play Lambeau Field about 6 months ago, I really wanted to go.  Tickets were very hard to get (and very expensive) so, not surprisingly, they sold out right away after they went on sale.  Randomly, I was online about a month ago looking for something else and came across tickets for sale from Ticketmaster.  Despite the cost, I decided to splurge for it since concerts at Lambeau Field are pretty rare.  I can see why now!

We drove to our "usual" (free) parking spot in a nearby neighborhood and walked the rest of the way to Lambeau.  The weather report was not looking good for the afternoon and evening, so we brought out rain jackets.  It never rained.

We entered the stadium at about 4:30 and the first performance had already started by the time we sat down, so that was a bit confusing since it wasn't supposed to start until 5 PM.  Between the 3 opening acts (for the country music fans out there- Brantley Gilbert, Cole Swindell, and Old Dominion) plus Jason Aldean as the other headliner and all the set changes in between, the concert ended up lasting well over 6 hours.  People were stumbling into the stadium after tailgating beforehand, and a lot of them just got rowdier and rowdier as the concert progressed and they continued to drink (how do they afford more than one $8-10 Lambeau beer?).  By the time it got dark and Kenny came on at almost 9:20, everyone was pretty fired up!  The crowd stood the entire time for both Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney, so the folks that rented the padded seats were out of luck (Lambeau only has bleachers without backs).

The weather worked out in our favor and there were only a few minor annoyances from the rowdy fans around us.  The Green Bay Press Gazette reported that more people were ejected from the stadium and arrested during the concert than during a regular Packers game (read the article here).  The police and medics had a very busy night, and the stage equipment wrecked the field yet again, just as it did when Kenny last played here in 2011.

Good thing we went to a concert at Lambeau just in case it never happens again!  It was a long night, but a great experience.

 

About 53,000 packing the stands (including those dedicated? folks on the floor that stood the entire time!)

 Jason Aldean fired up the crowd for an hour and a half (and then came back out with Kenny at the end)

Kenny finally came on after dark- cell phones nowadays instead of lighters

Cave Point and Whitefish Dunes

The New Jersey Division had to hit the road very early Saturday morning to head home.  We had such a great time spending the whole week together!  Since we were already up, Scott and I watched the North Bay sunrise and closed up the cabin.  We decided to stop for breakfast (at Al Johnson's in Sister Bay, of course) and then revisit Cave Point County Park and Whitefish Dunes State Park before picking up Teddy at the kennel and heading home for laundry and rest after a busy week.

 The sun comes up at about 5:05 AM this time of year...but worth the early wake up call

 Cave Point County Park (easier to see the caves without ice!)

 

  Without ice we could climb down to the beach level

 

 Cairn beach at Cave Point

 Scott checking out the thunder hole

 Arch on Lake Michigan

The last time we visited both parks, they were very much frozen.  Cave Point is a county park, but it really is not to be missed.  The New Jersey Division had the chance to visit both parks while Scott and I were working earlier in the week on a beautiful, sunny day. On Saturday, clouds and rain threatened, and both parks were pretty quiet, especially for a Saturday.  After checking out the beach, Scott and I went on a nice 1.5 mile hike on the Brachiopod Trail through the forest in Whitefish Dunes Natural Area, without the snow this time.  Lots of warblers and woodpeckers were out and about.

Crystal clear Lake Michigan

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." -Jacques Cousteau

Door County Family Vacation: Part 3- Fishing Lake Michigan

The word "Michigan" is believed to come from the Ojibwa word mishigami meaning "great water" (I concur).  Fishing Lake Michigan was one of the "bucket list" activities for the trip (especially for my dad), so we booked a charter with Silver Strike Charters.  This was the first Great Lakes fishing experience for most of us (only Scott has been out on a charter before on Lake Erie). 

We had the morning shift to fish for trout and salmon, so our trusty 32' vessel the Silver Strike departed from the Baileys Harbor Yacht Club marina at 5 AM with Captain Sid and First Mate Spencer as our guides (they also happen to be twin brothers).  It was an early morning for all, and after popping a Dramamine (or two) everyone was pretty sleepy as the calm waves rocked us back to sleep.  We were prepared to be pretty cold out there, but it really was pretty comfortable in just a sweatshirt and jacket.  The 5 mile trip out into the lake was very foggy, but the day cleared a bit as we trolled towards shore...for most of the trip we had 17 lines (with various spinners and lures) out in the water at one time (crazy!).  Fishing was relatively slow though- our collective haul for 5 hours on the water consisted of a nice chinook salmon and a fiesty lake trout (it fought Scott for about 10 minutes!), and an incidental "small" salmon.  This time of year is considered early season up north since the waters have not warmed up enough yet for the fish to become more active (of course, things have already picked up since the day we went out).  We still had a neat experience, and plenty of trout and salmon filets to bring home.  We cooked up some of each that evening for dinner- delicious!

Heading out to fish in the fog

Scott's nice lake trout, about 10 lbs.

The creel for the day (2 salmon, 1 lake trout)

A view of the Old Baileys Harbor Light a rare "birdcage" style lighthouse (now privately owned) on the way back into the marina

All 6 passengers aboard the Silver Strike returned safely to port (photo by Spencer)

Fresh Lake Michigan fish for dinner (photo by Steve)

In addition to the charter trip, we all did plenty of fishing off the dock at North Bay Retreat.  Angela was the only lucky angler who actually caught anything (a little bass), but we did see some nice fish swim by...and watch some nice sunsets.

North Bay fishing (photo by Angela)

"What was big was not the trout, but the chance. What was full was not my creel, but my memory." - Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (June)

Door County Family Vacation: Part 2- Washington & Rock Islands

One of our day trips involved an excursion to Washington Island and Rock Island, and an excursion it was!!  Both islands are located off the northernmost point of Door Peninsula, across Death's Door, or the strait between Green Bay and Lake Michigan.  There is no causeway or bridge, so the only access to both islands is by boat.  The ferry departure times were still running on spring schedule (apparently the high tourist season does not start until late June in Door), which made catching 2 different ferries on 4 trips within a matter of a few hours VERY difficult.  The weather was a little unpredictable too, with off and on rain showers and t-storms throughout the day.  Despite some confusion and missing the first ferry by literally 1 minute, the day turned out pretty well.  We added a couple of new lighthouses to our list and no one was lost at sea in Porte des Morts on the boat rides!

Loaded car ferry bound for Washington Island

Foggy view of Plum Island Lighthouse and old Coast Guard Station

After the 30 minute (7 mile) ride to Washington Island, we had to pile into one car to book it across the 5-mile island to the dock for the ferry to Rock Island State Park.  We made it just in time! 

Boarding the Karfi, the passenger-only ferry to Rock Island State Park

Most remote Wisconsin State Park, two ferries later!

Once we arrived on Rock Island, the sun started to come out!  We had a 1 mile walk through the woods to the Potawatomie Lighthouse, followed by a very nice tour from the lighthouse volunteers stationed there.  Since the lighthouse is rather remote, volunteers take turns staying at the lighthouse for the week to welcome guests and provide tours of the building.  Potawatomie is the oldest lighthouse in Door County, built in 1836.  It's hard to imagine being the light keeper in what would have been such a remote place back then.

 Interesting gateway to Rock Island

 Potawatomie Lighthouse, Rock Island State Park

View from the tower- I can see UP Michigan (and the Eastern Time Zone) from here!

Wealthy inventor Chester Thordarson owned Rock Island from 1910 until the 1960s when his heirs sold the island to Wisconsin DNR. Thordarson built this elaborate Icelandic boathouse for entertaining guests.

 

Inside the boathouse

After hiking back to the boathouse, we caught our return trip on the Karfi and rode the 10 minutes back to Washington Island in the rain.  Washington Island makes things interesting since everything has to come on the car ferry or private boat- we saw the mail cart being unloaded, a huge Coast Guard cutter on a trailer (which required the ferry to turn around to off-load), and a heating/cooling company truck with trailer going back and forth.  The Washington Island ferry does run year-round since people live out there, but the winter ice breaker ferry is by reservation only from late December through March (check out a neat YouTube video here).  Looks like a fun winter adventure!

The last stop of the day was The Danish Mill for a much needed sandwich (delicious!) before we caught the car ferry back to the mainland Door Peninsula.  An awesome adventure indeed!

Door County Family Vacation: Part 1- North Bay Retreat

The blog has been quiet so far for June, but we just had an exciting week of family vacation up in Door County!  My parents rented the North Bay Retreat (aptly named), a cabin just north of Baileys Harbor on the lakeshore side of Door Peninsula.  Mom, Dad, brother Steve and his girlfriend Angela made the long drive out from New Jersey.  Aside from a few rainy days and cooler temperatures on the lakeshore (a few shoobies in the group MAY have needed to buy DC sweatshirts), we had a great visit with them and lots of fun exploring the Door.  Since I have no shortage of photos and blog material, I will hit the highlights in a multi-part blog.

North Bay Retreat, from the dock looking inland

Ready to Explore the Door

 Sunrise (above) and sunsets (below) from the cabin did not disappoint!

 

In addition to lots of sightseeing, the week included plenty of delicious food and drink.  We may (or may not?) have eaten at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant (i.e., "the place with the goats on the roof") 3 times over the course of the week.  Everything was delicious (each and every time), especially the Swedish lingonberries!  Also of note was a visit to Door County Brewing Company in Baileys Harbor for a beer tasting.  Scott and I have had their beer from our grocery store, but Scott really wanted to check out the brewery. 

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant, Sister Bay is known for its delicious fare...and the goats that eat the grass on the roof!

Door County Brewing Company beer tasting

Angela and I also went to see When Butter Churns to Gold, an original production of Door County's Northern Sky Theater, held an at outdoor amphitheater in Peninsula State Park.  The interactive melodrama was about a young Wisconsin farm girl in 1847 (the year before WI became a state) trying to save the family farm.  The performance was absolutely fantastic, and how cool to watch a professional show outdoors as the sun goes down! No photos during the show, but I did snap one of the set before they started.

Set of When Butter Churns to Gold, an original melodrama by Northern Sky Theatre