Warbler Migration In Full Swing

I spent last weekend working on some pier repairs before the season gets into full swing, and while at the lake, we noticed that there were a ton of little bugs. I'm not an entomologist, and they reminded me of gnats, so I'll call them gnats. There weren't too many bird around yet though to eat them.

This weekend all that changed. I took a half-day on Friday to spend more time patching up the pier. And what I found was the largest group of Yellow Rumped Warblers I have ever encountered. The Yellow Rumps were in the trees, on the deck, on the ground, on the pier, in the bushes, and in some row boats that we are trying to sell. Along with the Yellow Rumps, a number of Palm Warblers were out and about too.

It was a good reminder of a few things:

1. Many birds will never visit a bird feeder becasue they eat bugs.

2. Migratory birds try to time their arrival with food availability. If the gnats emerged earlier or later, the birds could go hungry.

3. Everything in nature has its place. Are bugs annoying? Sure. But they also just fed hundreds if not thousands of warblers on the lake.

Take a look at the pictures below, and maybe next year you'll decided to visit Puckaway around the first of May to see warbler migration in full swing.

Yellow Rump on a boat


Yellow Rump on a tree


Palm Warbler on the pier

Rendezvous at Rendezvous in Montello

We recently made a lunch stop at Rendezvous Paddle and Sports in Montello. It's conveniently located on WI-22 just south of downtown, where the Fox and Montello Rivers meet just east of Buffalo Lake. In addition to delicious food, they are serving up fun on the river with trips on canoes, kayaks, or tubes down river towards Lake Puckaway.

Before going in, we enjoyed views of the river from the parking lot, watching tree, barn, and cliff swallows gliding deftly on the wind, catching their own lunches.

The menu is kid friendly, even our very picky eaters found their usual favorite: corn dogs. But yours may enjoy pizza, chicken tenders, mac and cheese or a burger.

Two of the adults in our party opted for the Friday lunch special which was a fish sandwich made with two large pieces of cod. It came with a side of coleslaw and potato salad. I opted for two sides of potato salad, after passing on the slaw. The other adults opted for burgers. Accounts of the half pound, pineapple and teriyaki Maui Wowie Burger and the egg and bacon covered Breakfast Burger are that they were also delicious.

Good news for Pepsi or Coke fans, you can order either as your beverage.

Our party of 4 adults and 2 kids left full and satisfied, and we are certain to go back.

Check out their full menu here.

Great Egrets Are Back - April 2022

Puckaway is a great place for birding. Terns, eagles, herons, pelicans are all regular sights. Driving back to our cabin after a trek over to Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refugee, I found myself disappointed that I didn't see any Great Egrets at Horicon (which was odd).

Taking WI-23 West towards Montello, I turned south down Highway C. The Fox River on my left. Not very far along, maybe just after crossing the Mecan River, stood two egrets.

From what I understand, there had at one point been an egret rookery on the lake. And from what I understand it's been some time since egrets were found nesting on the lake. However it looked like in 2021, they may have been nesting in the trees near the Fox River just west of the lake. They were a common sight on the North Shore of the lake through the summer. Including turning up on or near our pier.

Picture from 2021 of an egret near our pier.

You never know what you are going to see around Puckaway, I often carry a camera even when just making a quick trip out on an errand, whether I am on the lake itself or driving. Word to the wise, keep your eyes open.

American White Pelicans - 2021

Starting in the spring as the lakes and marshes of Wisconsin thaw, American White Pelicans make their way north. Pelicans can be found at Horicon Marsh, at Lake Michigan near Manitowoc, and on Lake Puckaway. A large wetland pennisula nearly divides the lake in two. The peninsula is affectionately referred to as Bird Island.

American White Pelican swimming.

The pelicans patrol the lake. Often flying to the western end in the morning as well as leaving in V's and strings likely off to other lakes and wetlands in the area like the Grand River Marsh or Green Lake or perhaps destinations further away like Lake Butte des Morts. For those that stay on Puckaway, by late morning they fly back across from west to east. And by the evening the wondering strings of pelicans return. They are elegant fliers often taking just three wing beats between gliding.

Pelicans making their way back across the lake.

If you haven't seen pelicans before, they are quite the sight. Their bright white wings  and body with bold black wing edges. Their gigantic 7 foot wingspan and large bills make them seem like they should be awkward, but they soar elegantly both high above the trees as well as mere inches above the lake.

Of course, they can't be elegant all of the time. Pelican takes on large fish.

Getting Around Puckaway

To understand how best to navigate around Puckaway, it's worth understanding the lake's dimensions. The lake is shallow, averaging 3 feet in depth with the deepest point being 5 feet. The lake is also rather large with 27.6 miles of shoreline and being about 7 miles across east / west and 2 miles across north/south at the widest point.

The lake is somewhat bordered by WI Hwy 22 which runs north/south west of the lake and WI Hwy 73 which runs north/south east of the lake. County Hwy C provides access to the north side of lake, while County Hwy B and H provide access to the south side of the lake. Most of the roads don't actually run along the lakeshore, so your best bet to explore the big lake is in a boat. 

The lake's shallow depth somewhat limits what kinds of boats you'll see tooling around the lake. Pontoons are the most common and are probably the most ideal way to get a good look at the lake, go fishing, watch birds, or just move between Marquette and the other stops on the lake like the Log Cabin or Good Old Days restaurants. 

Jon Boats and Fishing Boats are a fairly common sight as well. During duck hunting season, shallow water craft with mud motors thunder their way across the lake to access the cattail beds on the western end of the lake.  

The water is shallow enough where I launch, that I often start by rowing before dropping the trolling motor in. 

I use a small aluminum jon boat with a trolling motor to explore the lake. Given the lake's size, a trolling motor doesn't get me very far very fast. An outboard is definitely the way to go maximize your ability to get around the lake. 

For those inclined to exercise, kayaks and paddle boards are a fairly common sight as well. 

Whether tooling around in a small jon or kayak, water conditions matter. Smaller boats do better when the lake is still. And you need to stay aware of traffic. A pontoon boat generates a fairly significant wake for 12 foot jon boat to overcome.