FISH PREDATORS 



A few animals prey on the fish of Fork Lake, Snappers and painted turtles migrate 

 up the creek to the spillway and climb the dam. The numbers of both turtles and snakes 

 have been kept down by shooting. Bullfrogs were fairly common a few years ago, but only 

 two were seen or heard this year. The belted kingfisher, the little blue heron, the 

 great blue heron, the little green heron and several kinds of ducks visit the lake each 

 year and probably eat a few fish. A flock of little blue herons (In the white phase) 

 roosted In the low trees at the upper end of the pond for several, summers, 



DUCKS AND DUCK HUNTING 



Even before Lake Decatur (3 miles northwest of Fork Lake) was built, ducks visited 

 ponds and marshes near the town of Warrensburg (17 miles northwest of Fork Lake), and 

 similar areas southeast of Mount Zlon. Between them was a natural flyway or duck "pass. 

 Later these marshy areas were drained and the flyway broken up, but It has been reestab- 

 lished with the construction of Lake Decatur and Fork Lake, 



Ducks were shot on Fork Lake between the years 1923 and 1933 by six men from 

 Decatur and Mr. Smith. The pond was baited with com, and the ducks moved back and 

 forth between It and Lake Decatur. Com was fed In both the spring and fall, although 

 of course there was no shooting In the spring. As an example, Mr. Smith's notes show 

 that 339 bushels of coni were fed In the spring of 1931, 



A record of the kill of ducks was kept from 1925 until 1933 and Is summarized by 

 years In table 1, 



TABLE 1.— Al^lNUAL KILL OF DUCKS AT FORK LAKE 



Mr. Smith says that the average number of ducks visiting the lake was In the 

 neighborhood of 25,000 each year. At one time In the spring of 1931 It was estimated 

 that 20,000 ducks were on the pond and along the banks. Of these about 14,000 were 

 mallards and 6,000 were pintails and a scattering of other kinds. In 1931 Mr. C. M, 

 Powers and Mr, Dean Gorham, amateur ornithologists of Decatur, observed four European 

 wldp-eons. Before that (1927) three male European widgeons spent three weeks on the 

 pond. During most of the fall migration the mallard Is the most numerous duck, 

 although early In the season other ducks are common, such as blue-winged teal, green- 

 winged teal, lesser scaup, ring-necked duck, widgeon and gadwall. Pintails are more 

 common In the spring than In the fall. Black ducks Increased each year from 1920 to 

 1931. Occasionally the lake has been visited by flocks of from 8 to 20 Canada geese. 

 Buffleheads, shovellers and ruddles are rare. Since heavy feeding has been discon- 

 tinued the number of ducks has declined sharply. 



1938 FISH CENSUS 



The fish of Fork Lake were killed by a single treatment with poison. The method 

 developed by the Fisheries Institute of the Michigan Department of Conservation was 



i 



