NIGHT CRITTERS AT ONALASKA

      Lake Onalaska is a large backwater off the Mississippi River in Wisconsin.  Onalaska is composed of deep and shallow waters, mud flats, islands covered by tall grass and other islands dominated by deciduous, floodplain trees.

     In spring, that lake is a staging area for migrating ducks, swans, ring-billed gulls, white pelicans, a variety of shorebirds and other kinds of northbound birds.  Many bald eagles congregate there as well.  All those birds create exciting times for human observers.  I see all these intriguing birds, beautiful scenery, breath-taking sunrises and sunsets, and other interesting species of life through a live camera, 24/7, and our computer screen.  I enjoy seeing those beauties around Onalaska through each year.  But, through our computer, I also like to watch for nocturnal creatures that live along the lake.   

     The live camera and a spotlight are aimed at a large, dead tree fallen into shallows.  There a variety of mammals and birds are spotted at night, not all at once, but one kind or another, through the many months that set-up has been available to the public. 

     A few kinds of aquatic mammals are seen fairly commonly the year around in the shallows and grass-covered flats under the tree, and on the horizontal tree itself.  Those mammals include muskrats, beavers, mink, river otters and raccoons.  Each species can be identified by its size, shape and tail.  The rotund muskrats and beavers are both fur-bearing, vegetarian rodents, but muskrats are smaller with vertically flattened tails, while beavers have horizontally flattened tails.  Muskrats use their tails to swim through water, while beavers use theirs to store fat, steer through the water and slap the water's surface to warn of potential danger.  Sometimes, I see muskrats swimming along and carrying grass in their mouths, with which they build, or add to, grassy nurseries in their protective burrows.

      The related mink and otters are predatory, water-dwelling creatures.  These members of the weasel family have long, lean bodies, but the otters are larger.  Both species hunt and consume fish, crayfish, frogs, rodents and other small critters.  Occasionally, I am thrilled to see one of these aquatic weasels swimming in the water under the fallen tree.

     Sometimes, the year around, I see a few raccoons clambering and cavorting on the horizontal tree and zipping in and out of cavities in it.  They are hilarious to watch.  And they might call those hollows home.  Raccoons have chunky bodies, humped backs, black masks over their eyes, and black rings on their grayish-brown tails.  Raccoons forage for anything edible, including both animal and vegetable material.  And they hunt for frogs, crayfish, rodents and other small critters.  

     It's thrilling to see white-tailed deer and eastern coyotes on the grassy or tree-dominated islands the year around.  Coyotes even venture onto ice between the islands during winter.  Sometimes, I see two or three coyotes leaping and playing together on the ice. 

     Though most birds are diurnal, a few species are nocturnal and can be spotted at night around the fallen tree in Lake Onalaska.  They include great horned owls perched on the horizontal tree to watch for ducks, rails, muskrats and other wildlife on the islands of the lake.  Occasionally, I see an owl with prey in its talons on the tree, including a type of rail one time.  Great blue herons can regularly be spotted wading in the shallows to stalk fish.  And flocks of Canada geese are active at night on the lake, as they swim or fly to places where they feed on vegetation.        

     Through a live camera, a spotlight and our home computer screen, I can happily watch wildlife 24/7 at Lake Onalaska in Wisconsin.  The wildlife don't know they are being watched and go about their business undisturbed.  In a way, viewing wildlife through live cameras is a better way then observing nature in person and scaring all the wildlife away.