By Bruce Ross, Executive Director
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s June, 2020 Open Water Newsletter edition.
Open water hunting has a different character than more traditional Wisconsin marshes, lakes, fields and rivers. Besides the different gear required, and the different safety issues, there are the very different species of waterfowl. You can still see many common Wisconsin puddle ducks: mallards, black ducks, and maybe the occasional pintails in large flocks. And divers will raft up in significant numbers: redheads, goldeneyes, scaup, buffleheads and the always welcome canvasback.
Long-tailed Duck (male), photo from Lake Effect Chapter of lake Michigan
But less common for Wisconsin hunters are the sea ducks: scoters and long-tail ducks.
While some of these birds may have been using the lake for years , they seem to have descended on the lake in significant numbers with the expansion of invasive mussels. All of them summer and breed in the far north, but may find their way to Lake Michigan in the late fall and winter. They are all remarkable divers that “fly” underwater with their wings, feeding on mussels, invertebrates and small fish at depths as much as 200 feet.
The Long-tailed Duck (originally called the oldsquaw) is a uniquely attractive bird with fancifully long, slender tail feathers. Females are dusky brown and white, with no showy long tail.
Black Scoter (male), photo courtesy of Audubon
Scoter – It’s possible to see the three varieties of scoters on Lake Michigan: black, surf and white-winged.
Black Scoter – Maybe less common than the other two scoters, it makes up for it by being the most vocal – with a lonely, yearning whistle. Easily identified when close enough, male bills have a yellow-orange bulbous knob. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Scoter/
Surf Scoter: Plate by William Audobon
Surf Scoter – Sometimes called “old skunkhead,” (really?!) for the male’s black and white striped pate, but the big, sloping orange bill is at least as distinctive. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Surf_Scoter
White-winged Scoter, photo from Audobon.org
White-winged Scoter: Significantly larger than other scoters, the White-winged Scoter is mostly black with a heavy dark bill that gives way to yellow, then orange, then to flesh red bill colors. Males sport an upturned white under-eyeliner. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Scoter