PHOTO BY GARRY BRANDENBURG White-fronted geese relax and feed in the shallow flood waters adjacent to Highway 14 last Tuesday. The total flock size was probably about 1,000 with an equal number of Canada geese nearby. Five Trumpeter swans were observed along with many mallard and pintail ducks. These migrating ‘early birds’ are just the beginning of a time tested natural event of all kinds of birds beginning their journey northward from the wintering area. Recent lowland flooding from the Iowa River provided just enough shallow water for a convenient stop over point for the day. By dawn of the next morning, they had all departed to someplace in northern Iowa.

The month of March has arrived. This transition month will mark the first day of spring on the 20th.

March madness may also bring mild weather, or perhaps absolutely wild and stormy snowy blizzard-like weather, all depending upon how the northern hemisphere’s jet stream oscillates in its high level air currents. Only Mother Nature knows what hand she will play in her high stakes poker game of gotcha. She always wins.

Us humans know that spring season is getting closer. Longer day lengths are obvious, with earlier sunrises and later sunsets. At the beginning of March, our day length was 11 hours and 13 minutes.

On March 31, we will see the day being 12 hours and 38 minutes long. Spring’s vernal equinox is March 20 at 4:25 p.m. Central Daylight time.

The closest to a 12 hour day and 12 hour night will actually happen on March 18. Day length on the 20th will be 12 hours and 6 minutes.

As our Earth travels around the sun in its slightly elliptical orbital pathway, the Earth-Sun distance will be about 92.95 million miles on March 20. Last January, that distance was 91.4 million miles. It is called Perihelion.

On July 6, 2023, at 3:06 pm CDT, the Earth-Sun distance will be 94,506,364 miles. A point in the orbit is called Aphelion. These terms used by astronomers come from ancient Greek knowledge, whereby peri means close, apo means far, and helios means the Sun.

We know, or should know, that the axis of our Earth is tilted from vertical at about 23.5 degrees. March transition will gradually place the northern hemisphere into more and more direct sunlight each day, and thus over time, warmer spring, summer and fall time air temperatures.

All this is taken in stride by nature. Animals of all venues take note of longer days and warming temperatures. Chorus frogs and, later this month, Spring Peeper frogs will begin singing to attract potential mates. Migrating birds such as the Woodcock have an average arrival date of March 9.

Robins can show up anytime, although a very few never left during last winter. Once the robin flocks start to appear, they will be seen everywhere.

In wetland waters, all species of ducks will soon be arriving. Good places to observe waterfowl are Otter Creek Marsh, Hendrickson Marsh, Iowa River Wildlife Area, Sand Lake, Green Castle, Arney Bend Wildlife Area and any other wetland holding even a little bit of surface water.

Many hawks will also return including Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Swainson’s, and Broadwinged.

Red-winged blackbirds and Meadowlarks make March appearances. Eagles are in nests right now, and so are Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls.

In the waters of Iowa, March is netting time for northern pike. These fish will be trapped, netted at strategic control points in Iowa’s Great Lakes areas, taken to a hatchery site, separated by sex, and held only as long as needed to capture eggs and milt for controlled fertilization of those eggs. Once the holding operation is complete, the adult northern pike are returned to the lake waters they came from.

Meanwhile, at the hatchery, those eggs will be carefully monitored and given plenty of well oxygenated water of just the right temperature for young fry to hatch. Once hatched, those same miniature pikes will be fed and allowed to grow to sufficient size for stocking in other area lakes or rivers in Iowa.

Workers in hatcheries in Iowa are now very busy with some around the clock monitoring.

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Migrating White-front geese made a brief stopover on the temporary flood waters adjacent to Highway 14 this week. They are the first of many more flocks large and small that will be making northward headways.

It is an exciting time to watch for all the different species of wildlife returning. Many of the goose flocks are going as far north as the snow line allows in Minnesota. If a winter storm develops in the Dakotas or Minnesota, we could have a brief return of those waterfowl, but it will be temporary as ultimately spring weather patterns begin to dominate.

The Greater White-Fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) is named for the white band at the base of its bill. They have a long way to fly to arrive at breeding grounds in tundra wetlands of northern Canada and Alaska.

During migration they will feed in wet meadows, tidal mudflats, ponds, lakes and wetland habitats. Last winter they spent most of their time in rice, barley, corn and wheat fields of East Texas and Louisiana.

They are strong fliers. While in flight, their distinctive high pitched call is easily noted as different from the honk of Canada geese. Long term pair bonds are created by white-fronts and the male and female stay together all year long.

Nests are vigilantly defended against other geese and land predators like foxes. Pairs may still stay close to last year’s grown goslings for the first year.

Young white-fronts do not breed until about 2.5 years old. Then they leave their former family group and form new pair bonds.

White-front geese are common. Their population is stable, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists who conduct census counts. The breeding population is estimated at 1.2 million birds.

They are rated as a species of low conservation concern, meaning the stable population is not anywhere close to threatened status. Population offtakes by hunters each fall are regulated with an average of 260,000 harvests each fall between the years 2016 to 2021. Harvest rates in 2017 to 2022 are reported to be similar.

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Iowa River flooding happened on Feb. 27 and 28. A good amount of rain fell across Iowa during those two days.

Small streams, tributaries and rivers responded with increases in flow rates and flow depths. Our Iowa River had a typical response as Linn Creek, Timber Creek, Minerva Creek, Honey Creek and others funneled runoff surface waters from larger and larger drainages.

Although the rain gauge reading had between one and two inches in Central Iowa, the ground still had frost layers intact below a thin surface of soft soil. These rains could not soak in very well.

The soil profile has to lose all of its frost before similar rains later this month and next can be fully absorbed. The rains we did see had a lot of runoff, which made the Iowa River rise quickly.

I kept data gathering chores during and after the rain.

My Albion gauge showed a total of 0.92 inches. However, while traveling in northwest Marshall County, it was easy to see Honey Creek, for example, well out of its banks and running fast.

All other tributaries were doing the same thing. So knowing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website would have data entries every hour on the hour all day and night long, I could check on how fast and how the Iowa River was responding.

At first, the data in the morning of Feb. 27 showed the river stage at 11.63 feet at 8 a.m. By noon time, water levels had risen by almost 3 feet.

By 10 p.m. on the 27th, water was now at 17.13 feet, a full 5.5 feet rise and still rising. The Corps website showed several attempts to predict a crest date and time on their graph. However, my intuition told me that Mother Nature had not slowed down the flow rate as of that time. Nature was correct. Only time would tell when the river flow would top out and officially crest.

On Feb. 28, from 6 to 7 a.m., the automatic recording gauge on Highway 14 bridge in Marshalltown showed a crest of 17.52 feet. Since a “normal low flow” level in the river prior to the rain was at about 11 feet, the difference is 6.52 feet of water depth.

That put most of the river at bank full capacity with low lying lands adjacent to the river taking excess water into the floodplain. That is what we witnessed along Highway 14 last weekend.

The cubic feet per second flow rate changes were also interesting. At a river stage of 11 feet, that flow was in the range of 1,000 cubic feet per second.

When the crest finally happened, the flow rate had jumped to 9,025 cubic feet per second! Now as I write this column midweek, the water level has dropped slowly and steadily, and flow rates have also decreased accordingly.

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This coming weekend, right now in fact, the Iowa Deer Classic show is taking place at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. Everything an outdoors person may be interested in will be on display. Clothing, outfitters, tools and deer blinds, duck and goose calls, archery and firearms equipment and more will be offered to look at. The Big Buck Contest is always a hit.

Antlers of all shapes and sizes will be on display on the contest leaderboard through early Sunday afternoon. Iowa Deer Hall of Fame deer heads will also be shown.

These big bruisers of the past have stood the test of time and get invited back just to be put on display. Seminars and special speakers will inform attendees on a wide range of habitat and hunting options.

Iowa game wardens will also be present at their booth next to the TIP exhibit trailer. Examples of past poaching cases will be highlighted to help educate everyone about fish and wildlife thefts by the bad guys.

Take time to visit the Iowa Deer Classic. It is a fun winter time escape from the weather. Meet and greet old friends. Make new friends. See a great show of deer mounts.

I will be there and hope to see you.

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Do not forget line 57 A on Iowa’s Income Tax forms. This allows you to make a contribution to the Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund specifically earmarked for non-game wildlife programs by the Iowa DNR.

If you have an Iowa tax refund due, the contribution is taken off in one easy process. Thanks for your attention to this detail.

Money is always short for non-game issues. Whatever you can do to help is worth the effort.

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“There are seven days in a week. Someday isn’t one of them.” — Anonymous

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Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology.

Contact him at:

P.O. Box 96

Albion, IA 50005