Explore, Learn, Discover, Enjoying Beaver Creek During the Winter Months

By: Alex Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern

Every season brings unique opportunities here at Beaver Creek Reserve. Events from bird banding to Family Nature Club to Morning at the Feeders are examples that show there is always something new to experience. If you happen to miss an event, forget to register, or if an event is already full, there is still much to do! During a normal winter season, we have activities that don’t require registration such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing for visitors of all skill levels to enjoy. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been as much snow this year, so the regular variety of activities has decreased. We are still hopeful to get at least one good snowfall within the upcoming weeks!

In addition to our normal winter recreation, there are 9 miles of trails that span across both our north and south campuses that can be hiked. Our trails offer beautiful views of the creek itself, along with the woods, and wildlife that may be spotted along the way. Just a short distance from the Wise Nature Center, there are 2 outdoor play spaces for children to explore, called Nature Nooks. Each Nook has a fun theme and are all connected to one another by our Storybook Hiking trail. 

If the weather isn’t cooperating or you have a small child, we offer indoor exploring opportunities as well. The Wise Nature Center is the home to our Discovery Room, which overflows with nature-themed educational displays, interactive stations, and our animal ambassadors. 

Whether you missed an event or program, or are looking for a way to spend your day, there are many different activities to stay busy at Beaver Creek so everyone can connect with nature in their own way. 

If you’re interested in participating in any of our upcoming events, visit our website for more information!

Holiday Crafting for Kids

By: Claire Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern 

On Saturday November 18th, Beaver Creek kicked off the holiday season with their annual Holiday Crafting for Kids event. With the help of volunteers from ECLIPSE (a group from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) and our AmeriCorps Environmental Educators, the Nature Center was transformed into a room full of holiday spirit and excited kids ready to make fun, naturey holiday-themed crafts. 

At this event, kids were able to explore multiple different craft stations at their own pace where each station was stocked with recycled and reused materials.

The first craft was ornamental corn cobs that were decorated with construction paper, hole punched leaves, and lentils. 

The second craft was jingle bells made out of egg cartons. Kids were very creative at this station and added pipe cleaners so that their jingle bells could hang on their Christmas trees.

The third craft gave kids the opportunity to make toilet paper roll snowmen which they got to decorate with fun, sustainable materials. Some kids even made earmuffs and scarves for their snowmen!

Christmas tree pinecones were the fourth craft, and although there were lots of messy green hands, the trees looked beautiful with sequins, sparkles, and pompoms!

The fifth craft was paper cup owls where they used real feathers making the owls look very realistic. They also added eyes, legs, and beaks!

When the kids were finished with their crafts or needed to take a break so their creations could dry, they enjoyed hot chocolate and popcorn while listening to holiday books at storytime. This was a relaxing and fun way to get into the holiday spirit!

The event was a huge success and everyone was able to bring home new holiday crafts to decorate. If you missed this event but are interested in attending another crafting program check out our events calendar for more information.

Our First Motus Tower Ping!

By: Jeanette Kelly, BCR Citizen Science and Education Director

Last month you heard about Beaver Creek Reserve joining forces worldwide in bird conservation by taking part in an international research network called Motus. Motus Wildlife Tracking System uses automated radio telemetry to track birds. Captured birds are tagged with a small transmitter (Motus tag). A Motus tag can be detected by Motus towers worldwide! The towers can detect birds with Motus tags up to 20 km (12 miles) away. This summer we erected two Motus towers. There is a tower on top of the Wise Nature Center, look up before you enter the building, and one located at our Henke Acres Research Site.

Huge news! We have had our first ping! A ping occurs when a tower detects a bird that has a Motus tag. On October 10, a Virginia Rail (#45778) flew over the Wise Nature Center. I assumed the first bird picked up by the towers would be a Grosbeak, Crossbill, Redpoll, or Woodpecker, not a Virginia Rail. A Virginia Rail is a chicken like marsh bird somewhat larger than an American Robin. Virginia Rails are secretive and spend their days walking through the cattails of freshwater marshes searching for snails, crayfish, and frogs to eat.

Macaulay Library, ML 29069861, by Evan Lipton

By reviewing the Motus site, here is what we learned about Virginia Rail # 45778. On April 20, 2023, this Rail was trapped and banded with a Motus tag at Swan Bay in Oak Park, IL. From there it promptly traveled 115 KM (72 miles) to Dixon Waterfowl Refuge – North, located in Hennepin, IL. Number 45778 was not detected again until it pinged a Motus tower in Havana, IL, 117 km (73 miles) from where it was last recorded. Four months and 508 km later, this Virginia Rail flew over the Wise Nature Center. Why did it decided to head 315 miles our way? Why is it moving north in October. The more information we collect, the more questions we have. 

As winter nears, we do not expect a lot of activity on our Motus towers, but will keep our fingers crossed from spring migration. We will keep you posted.

Owls Under the Stars

By: Claire Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Writing Intern

Banded and recaptured Saw-whet Owl,
identified as an After Hatch-year

On Friday, October 20, I had the opportunity to attend Beaver Creek Reserve's (BCR) and the Natural Resources Foundation (NRF) of Wisconsin's program, "Owls Under the Stars." This program included looking at stars and planets with members from Chippewa Valley Astronomical Society (CVAS) and learning about the process of Northern Saw-whet Owl banding with Beaver Creek's Citizen Science Center. We started the evening with a presentation all about owls and other raptors found in Wisconsin. Our presenter and BCR's Citizen Science and Education Director, Jeanette Kelly, discussed the process of owl banding, what data is collected, and its importance to scientific research. During the presentation, Jeanette shared that recently a Barn Owl nest was found in Lacrosse Wisconsin, and it was the first nest found in 30-35 years in the state. 

Next, we headed out to Hobbs Observatory to look at the stars and different planets with members from CVAS, Lauren Likkel and Mike Brown. My group started inside the observatory's dome to get a better look at the moon, which we saw in greater detail than what can be seen with the naked eye. Then we went outside and looked through another telescope and saw Saturn, a planetary nebula, a star cluster called M13, and the Andromeda Galaxy called M31. When viewing Saturn at high levels of magnification, I was able to distinguish the rings and some of the moons. The other group saw Jupiter and a few other star clusters. Following looking at the different astronomical features, we went back inside to watch a presentation about stars. CVAS members described the way stars move through the night, and through the year.  I found the Andromeda Galaxy especially fascinating! This galaxy is 25 million light years away, which means that what we are looking at now is the same way it was 25 million years ago. It’s appearance is compared to a stretched out cotton ball. Thinking about how far away these entities are and how vast our universe is, is astonishing.

Saw-whet Owl identified as a 
Second year, being aged using a UV light

After the presentation, we waited in the Citizen Science Center to see Northern Saw-whet Owls get banded. It was nearing the end of the session when they caught two owls! One of the owls caught was a recapture, meaning it had previously been caught and banded by a banding team before. The other owl was identified as a female, second year, which means this owl is in its second year of life.

In order to attract the owls, the banders play a recording of the spring mating call of a male Northern Saw-whet Owl. This lures owls to the mist nets set up by the bird banders, and they are checked every half hour. Sometimes, the nets capture non-targeted species. For example, the banders have captured an American Woodcock and a Barred Owl in the past.

The bird banders showed us the process of measuring and weighing the birds, as well as determining the age and sex. The bird banders use a chart that determines the sex based on the size of the owl and the length of their wings. To identify the age of the bird they use a UV light. When the wings are under the UV light, a chemical called "porphyrin" appears as different shades of pink. New feathers will show up as a darker pink, older feathers will be lighter shades of pink, and some with no visible coloring at all. 

If you’re interested in watching the owl banding process, keep an eye on our events calendar for more opportunities. If you’re interested in going to a public telescope observing program, see CVAS’ website  for more information about upcoming events.

Fall Colors: Coming Soon!

By: Claire Anderson

Photo Credit

It often seems that the beautiful red and gold hues of fall leaves are here and gone in the blink of an eye. Planning ahead and knowing the foliage timeline can help you make the most out of the fall colors and enjoy the beautiful landscapes around you. 

According to the Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Prediction Map, the Chippewa Valley area will be in near peak and peak colors from October 9th to around October 21st. These dates may vary slightly depending on the amount of moisture in the soil, when we start getting frost, and the weather throughout the week. Typically warmer days and cooler nights encourage brighter colors! Keep an eye on the Fall Color Report Map for updated information and see when the colors in your region may be at its peak. 

Getting outside to experience the fall colors is essential to the fall experience. If you're looking for a more creative way to enjoy the fall weather, try your hand at crafts that utilize fall foliage. An easy craft is collecting leaves that have fallen, and making biodegradable confetti with a fun hole puncher! 

You may also want to check out an apple orchard, or a pumpkin patch in the area. If you’re looking for a beautiful autumn hike, come out to Beaver Creek and check out our trails that allow for any experience level. If you're looking for a trail with a beautiful overlook our Blue and Red trails on our South campus are two longer hikes that both have breathtaking overlooks. For a quicker and easier hike, check out our Green trail!

No matter what you do this season, make sure to enjoy the fall colors and have some fun outside during the beautiful autumn days!

Kestrel Host Program, 2023 Recap

By: Jeanette Kelly, Citizen Science & Education Director

This summer was the first year of our new Kestrel Host program. We had five landowners commit to putting up a Kestrel nest box on their property and regularly monitoring the nest box to determine if Kestrels inhabited the box and if their nest was successful. At the start of this program, I told participants to not get their hopes up. The likelihood of them having Kestrels in their box this 1^st year was slim. It often takes larger birds a season or two before they use a new box.

Well surprise surprise, we had a successful Kestrel nest this summer! Near the end of nesting season, I told the host that it was time to close up their nest boxes and we would cross our fingers for next year. When one host went to close their box, they peeked in a found a male Kestrel sitting on four eggs! I was informed that a happy dance followed.

The host monitored the box every few days keeping us informed on hatch date and development of the chicks. At around 20 days old, I headed to the host property to take measurements, determine sex, and band the chicks. It was an exciting event with the whole family joining. The four chicks, two female and two male, were all growing and well fed. The adult Kestrels successfully fledged all four chicks later that week. I know that come next spring; these hosts will be anxiously awaiting to see if the Kestrels return to their box.

There was action in a few other boxes too. One host frequently witnessed a female Kestrel around his nest box. When he monitored his box, the female Kestrel was very vocal, letting him know she would prefer him to move on. The Kestrel laid one egg in the box and that was it. My guess would be that this year was the birds first nesting season and she was practicing. Practice makes perfect and maybe next year the nest will be a success.

No Kestrels, but another box had a very ambitious House Wren. If you have ever looked inside a Wren house, you know that Wrens fill every possibly space in a nest box with a twig. A Kestrel nest box is four times the size of a Wren box. Not sure what this little Wren was trying to prove, but happy they were able to pull off a successful nest.

This has been a great program in engaging community members in science and promoting Kestrel conservation. Thank you hosts for all your time and effort monitoring your nest boxes. Thank you Xcel Energy Foundation for the grant that made this project possible. A huge thank you to our amazing birdhouse volunteer that made all the boxes for this project.

Watch this fall for information on how you can become an American Kestrel nest box host. Learn more about our Citizen Science Center and the projects they've been working on!

It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a Motus Tower!

By: Luke Trittelwitz, WisCorps Avian Field Technician

Have you noticed the new addition on the roof of the Wise Nature Center? This tower may look like the average TV antenna, however it's really a breakthrough in scientific research happening right here at Beaver Creek! Last month, with the help of volunteers, donors, and Beaver Creek staff, two Motus towers were built so we can join the advancing research! One is on top of the Wise Nature Center, and the other at the Henke Acres. 

You may now be wondering, what is Motus? The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international research network that uses automated radio telemetry to track birds, bats, and insects. This can be detected by Motus stations worldwide! The towers can detect these transmitters up to 20 km away. There are currently 31 countries participating in Motus, totaling over 1,200 stations, and 30,000 tags that have been placed on more than 250 species. This data has contributed to 130 academic publications covering a wide range of disciplines such as breeding, migration behavior, and more!

Motus towers provide you:

• The widest variety of animals to be monitored over the greatest distance with relatively high geographic precision, an incredible temporal precision Centralized, and a public data portal for automated radio telemetry projects globally.
• See what’s been detected at your and other stations around the world.
• Shared local-to-hemispheric tracking infrastructure.
• Innovative, affordable, open-source hardware and software.
• Compatibility across numerous technology providers.
• A large international collaborative community.

Some of the largest barriers to effective conservation and management of migratory animals is our ability to determine the importance of various landscapes and how they are utilized throughout their annual cycle. Our landscape includes numerous geographic and anthropogenic features (urban, rural, utility, industrial) that might influence migratory animals’ use of and movement through the landscape. Gaining a better understanding of these processes will help those in the field make ecologically informed decisions with regards to wildlife management, policy, and regulation. 

Not everywhere is able to be a host site for a Motus tower. To be a good location, the most important factor is that the antennas have an unobstructed view in the direction they are facing. For this reason, the highest point on the surrounding landscape (within 5-10 km) is usually preferred. This may be a hill or other prominent feature, shoreline, a station attached to an existing building (like the Wise Nature Center), or a standalone station that exceeds the height of any nearby trees or features (like the Henke Acres). 

Motus is not only advancing our knowledge in animal and migration science, but also in:

• Open framework for development, code, and analysis sharing
• Population ecology
• Animal behavior and physiology
• Environmental impact assessment and management
• Populations, survival, and species dynamics
• Stopover, site-based, and full life-cycle knowledge
• How animals use flyways and landscapes

Soon we will begin attaching telemetry tags to birds, bats, and insects to learn more about their migration patterns and aid in conservation efforts. We are excited to join this international project because this data will revolutionize our understanding of migratory animals! Stay tuned for more information.