Nature NewsWatch this page for Updates on Bird Sightings at Goose Pond & Faville Grove, What's Happening in the Prairies, Nesting Bird Activities, and other Nature News!June 2008 The Flood of 2008!Click this link for Photos of Faville Grove on June 11 Scroll down for more photos and information about the flood and impact on the prairies
Flood - Aerial Photo
This is an aerial photo of flooding at Madison Audubon's Faville Grove Sanctuary. Channel of meandering Crawfish River is marked by trees in the distance. From the bottom of the photo is Wayne Magnussen's farm fields, then Martin Prairie, then Tillotson Prairie, then Milwaukee Audubon and Faville. The eastern most part of those lands along theriver are cut off at the right. The eastern edge of the Milwaukee Audubon parcel is marked by a sharp line of shrubs. Dead girdled aspensare visible on Faville just below middle of photo. Toward the top ofthe photo on the left if you look closely you can see a pair of large dead cottonwood trees that we girdled surrounded by the water. They mark the southeast corner of Snapper.
Flood - Prairie Lane looking E 6-14-08
Flood - Prairie Lane looking N - Deppe lowland 6-14-08
Flood - Prairie Lane looking NE - Deppe lowland 6-14-08
Flood - Prairie Lane looking NE - Deppe on left 6-14-08
Flood - Prairie Lane looking NE - Peters 6-14-08
Flood - Prairie Lane looking NNE - Peters 6-14-08
 Goose Pond Rainfall in inches
1.50 - June 6
1.90 - June 7
1.50 - June 8 Sunday 7:30
1.70 at 11:30 a.m.
1.80 at 8:00 p.m.
1.05 - June 9 Monday 6:00 a.m.
1.05 - June 9 Monday 6:00 a.m.
1.05 - June 13 Friday.
11.90 inches from June 6 - June 13. Water Level - West Pond
June 6 - 23 inches (") below the top of the north post on June 1.
June 8, 7:30 a.m.-- 13 " below the top at 8:30 a.m.; 10 " below top at 11:45 a.m.; 7 " below at 1:30 p.m.; 5.5 " below at 3:30 north post under water and 14 inches below top of the south post at 8:00 p.m.
June 9, 6:00 a.m. -- Railroad tracks washed out near Kamepn Road; Water flowed over Kampen Rd by tracks over night.
June 10 -- Railroad tracks repaired - 6 men, 4 trucks, 2 locomotive engines w/10 cars of rock (one car of rocks at our washout).
June 11 -- Water flowing east south of house to Yahara River. Mile long train - 4 engines and 95 cars; number of trains being routed through this area due to water problems in other areas; Paul Michler counted 119 railroad cars one day.
June 12 -- 2" below top of south post
June 13 -- south post under water; George Stiemke found large snapping turtle in cow yard; loaded carefully into MAS blue truck
June 14, Sunday night -- water 5 " above top of south post; Paul Michler in kayak found water 7' deep in west and east pond; much of flooded is 2' deep
June 16 -- Appears ponds are at same level and water not flowing through culvert; Many acres under water - food plots, farmers fields, and many acres of Manthe CRP and maybe 10 acres of MAS restored prairies may be underwater. Water will not disappear shortly and prairie plants in water probably will die. Goose Pond Road is about 1 foot above the water level of Goose Pond Ostego Marsh - Old Highway F gave way on the west side near or at the culvert site. There is a 3 foot wide hole the width of Old F and the hole is about 3 foot deep. However water is not flowing through this hole on Friday. Hawkos Pond is still high and wood duck boxes are in water. Trail is closed due to high water and oak hickory woods is wet. Erstad Prairie - Schoeneberg Marsh Waterfowl Production Area.
- Harvey Road is closed at the curve and water may be over the road for almost 1/2 mile.
- The pond on Erstad Prairie is very deep. When the water was very high in the past one could put a canoe in at Erstad Prairie pond, canoe east then north, canoe over Harvey Road into the large marsh and take out southwest of Erstad Prairie on Priem Road.
- There has been a whooping crane present for the past 3 weeks with a flock of 30 sandhill cranes. Updated Sun May 18, 2008 Otsego Marsh - Wooded Wetland in BloomClick here for a Photo Essay of the Madison Audubon Sanctuary at Otsego MarshApril 2008 - Migration Is Underway A few Tundra swans were on hand to enjoy the final “ice out” at Goose Pond in the first week of April, and by Saturday, April 5, there were some 200 swans, and other migrants enjoying the open water. . But by Sunday morning they must have found that the wind was right and they headed out. A few remained on Sunday to be joined by white-fronted geese and Canada geese and a number of other species, including Scaups, Ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, canvasbacks, mallards, Redheads, Buffleheads, Sandhill cranes, and Coots. Other sightings by the volunteer scopers included Bonaparte’s Gulls, Tree swallows, Horned larks, Killdeer, Kingfishers, turkey vulture, red-winged blackbirds, mourning doves, and pheasants. The calls of the Chorus frogs made their presence known. By Sunday, April 13, the view of Otsego Marsh from the road (Old F) included wood ducks, sandhill cranes, and kingfisher. Standing water prevented walking in on the trail. |
