May-August, 1960 C,Pva PIC!UM
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May-August, 1960 c,pva PIC!UM Th8 aover piatun ••• taken fl'"Cll a hill on the eaat retup boundary. Sprift& lake 11.e• to the left, the HeadqWlrtura toiwer 18 1traight. ahead and Hillebrand lake to the right.. Fl"Qll thi• yo~·ca see that · uba,y is tNly "t.he g• of the refU&e s. etem 11 even 1t it 1a a •omewhat uall gem. Photo by Mr. Jame• •· 'l'hOlrp8oa, al.erk at. the Mud Lake National "1ldl1te Ref\lge. W&llba,y II .500 1 6/14/60. ' \ ~ ~.:.: ~ s~'i ' ..., WAUBAY .... STUDY AREA () r-------l .,,""z c PICKEREL II: ROS~YN I LAKE .... TRANSECT .. .... :z: z .....0 ii & Ml#~ SCHOOL 206 LAKE HltJNWAY NO. II WEBSTER ' WAUBAY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE WAUBAY AREA DAY COUNT~ SOUTH DAKOTA SCALE Ol!!!!!!!!!!iil iiiiiiiiiii!2!!!!!!!!!!3 M1 LES --- --- --- --- tor Ma7, June, July, August 1960 WAUBAY MATIONAL WIIDUFE REFUGE WAUBAY, SOUTH DAKOTA PerJl!!D•pt PeraoOO!l J. c. Carlsen • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Refuge Manager E. J. Fromelt • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Wildlife Aid • • • • • • • • • • • • •• Laborer Dave Hof t • • • • • • • • • • • • •• Laborer -- -- -- --~ £.Q.!!!! !!I! 1. General A. Weather Conditiona • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • l B. Habitat Condition• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••• l l. Water • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 2. Food and Cover • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 ll. Wlldlite A. Migrator1 Birda , • • •• , • • • • • , • , • •• ) B, Upland CJaM Bil'de • , , , • • • • • • , • , , • • • 6 c. Big Geae Atdm&la , • , , , , , • , • • • • • • • • 6 D, FW" Atdmala Predators, Roclent1, and Other '•nnai1 , • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • ? E. Hawke, &&glee, Owla, Crow1, .Ravena, and Magpi.Ate • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 F. Othor Birde • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 G. Fiah • •••••••••••••••••••• 8 H. Reptilee • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 I. Diaeaee • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 Ill. R•fllP Develo1D9nt. and :U..intoa.nce A. Phyeioal Develo.-,ent • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 B• Plantings • • • • • , • • • • • , • • • • • • • 10 C. Colleotione and Receipt• • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 D. Control of Vegetation ••••••••••••• 10 x. Planned Burning • • • • • • ••••• , • • • • • • ll F, Firea • • , • • ••••• • ••• • • • ••• 11 IV. Reaouroe Managem.ent.. A. Grazing • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11 D • Haying • • • • • • , , • • • • • • • • , • , • • 11 C • FW" Hane.i • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • 11 D • Timber 8-oval • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • 11 E. Commarioal Fiehing • , • • • • • • , • • • • • • • 11 F. Other Uae1 • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11 V. Field b•etigation or Applied .Reeearch A. Progreaa 8-port • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 B. Waubay Study Area • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••• 12 c. Waterfowl Transects •••••••••••••••• 12 D. Canada Gooee Band1ng • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 E. Protected .Area for White-cheeked Gee1e • • • • • • l3 F. Experimem&l Herb1o1dH •••••••••••••• lJ VI. Publlo .Kelat1ona A, Reoreat1Gnal u... , . , . , . lJ B. Refuge Visitora • , , • • • • • • • • • • , ••• 14 C, Refuge Participation ••••••••••••••• 14 D. Hwltina • • • • • • • , , • • • • • • , • • • • • • 15 i, Violation.a • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • lS VII, Other ltema A. Iteme ot Intere.t. •••••••• • • • • • • • • • lS B. Photogaphl • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 16 C • Sigbature • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 - - -- -- --" -- I GENERAL A. Weather Condit1091 ~1eitat1m Max. 'IUn. Thi• llOfth Hol'll&l Te, ·r•e~I May a.u 2.80 84 JO June 4.16 )~81 85' 40 July .6,3 2.84 99 44 August .A. ...!tJ_ 'roTALS 11.l~ ~ Extreme• 99 30 H 1 tively oool t mper tu s d a inim ot wind during the riod helped conserve aoieture in th• pothole• and s net c to th gr in crop1. A local drou.ght pre'Valled from early July until mi' A t ~hioh dried up ilafly pothelaa, reduo d yi lde on 11 gr ins largely rui.Md the lat.• oropa of oorn, fl and 11 t. A hall 1tora oro1Hd. the north portion ot th• refuge on Auau\ Jrd. There are no r.ef&&ge cro1>9 in that area but adjacent. tarm•r• •re oompletel,y bailed out. Grazing unit.• ..... pouadecl flat bllt. re covered rapidl.Y. " GenerollS rains r r c i ved dll?'ing th l t t r part. of uat t o bring th tot 1 for t p riod to j t an inch b l ow nor. • For the first e1 ht months of 1960 p c it tion has totalled 16.58 1.nehe co red to a normal of 16.35 inches. Dtn'in the e period in 1959 only 1 .09 inchos was ceived nd th ituation s ev ors in 1958 h n th a o11J..y 8,i9 inoh••· From thi.8 it ean be en th t 1960 is ssent1ally noraal year, cou1der1.ng precipitation. Although a t•w hot days have been experienced, there have been no prolonged aee1ion1 ot 100 degree weather auoh •• preY&iled lut year. The winde wen somewhat llON JDDderate thi• 1U1111er too. l. Water A good apring runoft restored. nuaerOUll pothole• and bl"ou.gbt lake level• up Hveral inobel trcia the lo• ln•l ot 1959. lol'Jl&l napora tion and tranapiration oaued moet potholes to dry out in late July. Swan Pond•• all but dr7 1n early Augu1t when a channel waa oon- 1truoted to link it with Spring LAU. This flooded Swan Pond to a - ·- -- -- -- -- -2- maxim d pth of 3 d h c llent h bi- tat v ry ttr ctiv to t r Levels - x Retue Hillebrand 1808.88 1808.00 Spring 1812.46 18ll.27 1.19• Ordinarily Spring Lake water levels do not receed as much ae the oth r lake du to the natural epringe whioh sustain the lake. The S Pond channel project drew Spring Lake down 0.43 of a toot to ccount for a gc.od •hare ot the drop. The retu.ge l&kea .till have an abundant upply ot Mt.er u the average depth• are 6 to 7 teet and extreme depths 10 to 12 teet. a • islands .I .At the end ol the period all the refuge pot.hole& are dry wit.h the exception ot spring ted Baree Slouah and Dahling Slough which ha• an inch ot water tram the he&Yy Augl.l8t rain. 2. food Ind Cmr o production on Spring and Hill brand l s 1e 1 s than th he vy crop of 1959 but oan •till b on id red a o crop. Th l k ar rd to beat tor con i nt aago production. ~ ubay l ha io a light improvement now that the carp t v b en re- duced bJ' winter kill. Wheat, barley, oat1, aill.et and altalta were grown on the .300 acre• ot ret1age cropland. Unite HA-ll and 12 wre not farmed thie yur. HA-ll ha• been pentanentl,y converted to grazj.n einCHt it waa a -- -- -- -- -- -)- ateeplJ' •loping, rattwr infertile piece end HA-12 1• not being farmed to teat the ettect th1e will haye on the gooM feeding flight• J.n that direction. Abot& 72 acrea or barley and millet WJ'9 left 1tand- 1og u the ret\lge share and one cutting or altalta ha.r •• aold fer oaah. Two tielda totalling 16 acre• haw been Meded to tall 179 to prcwide green broWM tor the ge.... It 1• hoped that thie will be an addecl inoutive to keep the bird• in th• rretup during the hwrt.ing aeuon. II WIWLIFE >. 111mtou Bircte I . 1. Waterfowl a. gnu Twelve ot the seventeen breeding paira ot Canada P•H were ellcceae tul in raising broods thia year wit.h a total of 49 goallng1. Although ttiia is the Ame number ot broods aa last year, th• average brood 11se waa emaller - 4.08 comparGd to 5.08. c:ight brood.a re fo on Sprin& Lake, ·three on the refuge portion of ub y la.k and only one on Hillebrand lake. All brood.a hatched betw en 1 21st June 4th. It 1a ai&ftificant to note that aeven of t h9 broode hatched on nen plAttonu or island•. On.l..y one 1aland neat •• de•trol"9d by pre dator• while tour of t.be nine ahorel1.ne nelt1 were deatroyed. The awnaer eooe• popW.atioa oona1.ted ot 12 8\l0cea1tul pair• and 49 goalinga plua 9 t d ucceseful na t r1. Two Snow g.aae and a lone l goos r r r identa. Jh'iclmtJ.y then were in.1ured bird ioh could not c l t th spring migra- tion to their northern ne1ting ground1. During the auaaer raol&l.t, 138 of the Honker• were preMnt on Spriag Lake. On July 6th a roundup -. held and 89 gee•• were oapt\ll'9Ci but, two goalitJga sneaked ••T withollt being banded. Ten ot then pe1e bad been banded in prniou year1, eight in 19,9, one 1.o 1956 and one 1n 1951. The &••H were on the wing again 1n lap July nd feeding flight• north and 10Qth of th• retu 8V ino • T 'Y geneNllT do not atart. teedin& 1n 1'91'1.\ge ti lda untU lat Sept r, -- -- -- -- -- -Ir Report• wre Nceivecl of Canada peee brooda on ten di.tferent, lakea and eloLigba around U.. area ao it aan be •id that thi1 binl 1a tinnl.Y reeetabllshed. The only problea 1a controlling the harv••t ot th••• birde ao that the breed1.ng tlock oan be perpet,uted. Thia upect will be d1Ac11e1ed in a later notion. b. Duok1 Th• ref\lge breeding popl.\l.atiCG ot d\l0k1 oomprieed apprmd.mately . 160 pair• t.h1a year. For the tiret tiire 1n many year•, blu.. winged teal were not the moat numeroua apeciee. Oadwalla le"'1J,he way with 50 paira closely followed b7 the blu.-winga and then mallardl pint.&Ua, b&l.dpate, gl"Hn-winged tesl d shov l r. The divin duoka, redhead•, oanvuback and ruddie , p a t d by a t w pairs. A tew eoaup were pNaent all 1U:1 r but sho d no incli - ' tion to nest. The tew Black ducke and Wood ducka preaont are thought t.o be moulting dr&Jcee. The tirat mallard and pint.ail broode were not obHrved until mid Jww. The bulk of the hatch ~curred in mid-Jul.y with a number ot late neata and reneete hatahing •ll into Auguet.