Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale

Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale Official page of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project, the longest predator-prey study in the world.
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The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale is funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Michigan Tech University and Isle Royale National Park. We also receive generous support from a number of private donors.

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring, 2026): The distinctive black-and-white coloration and beautiful, if ha...
06/17/2026

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring, 2026):
The distinctive black-and-white coloration and beautiful, if haunting, sounds of the Common Loon may be the bird that most visitors to the Island most associate with a trip to Isle Royale.

Loons may be fast and graceful in the water, but on land they're awkward and build their nests of dead grasses and other plant material along the shoreline. This means that they can make a quick escape into water, but also that any fluctuation in the water levels from boat wakes or wave action can flood them out.

Successful nests will have 1-2 chicks, which stay with their parents for up to 3 months. Occasionally, lucky visitors will see chicks catching a ride on their parent's back.

Keeping loons safe and increasing successful nests means giving them their space. Watching from a distance and avoiding their nest sites on both Superior and inland shorelines is critical in the spring and summer.

Have you ever seen loon chicks while visiting the Island?

(photo credit: Jacob Sutter)

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring, 2026): Moose take to the water come spring and summer where they can ke...
06/15/2026

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring, 2026): Moose take to the water come spring and summer where they can keep cool but also because their diet shifts to predominantly aquatic plants.

Aquatic plants, like the milfoil that this moose was eating at Feldtmann Lake, contain minerals such as sodium in much higher concentrations than terrestrial plants. A large part of a moose's summer diet includes mineral-rich plants like milfoil, pond lily, and water shield.

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): Another often-heard and harder-to-see warbler, the Northern parul...
06/12/2026

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): Another often-heard and harder-to-see warbler, the Northern parula is another insect-eater that breeds on the Island.

Unique to this species, they are closely tied to mosses, lichens, and other closely related plants which they use for their nests. In southern forests, they use Spanish moss and in northern forests, such as Isle Royale, they rely on the pale green, hairy-looking lichen called old man's beard that can be found on trees across the Island.

These active little birds pick insects off the tips of the branches of trees, making them challenging to see but their loud songs are present throughout the Island in late spring through mid-summer.

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): Isle Royale's mix of boreal and northern hardwoods forest means t...
06/10/2026

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): Isle Royale's mix of boreal and northern hardwoods forest means that a wide variety of birds call the Island home.

Warblers like this American redstart nest on the Island, and can be heard and seen throughout the breeding season. As the summer winds down, they begin their long southward migration.

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): Take a closer look at another of Isle Royale's 8 species of wood...
06/08/2026

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): Take a closer look at another of Isle Royale's 8 species of woodpeckers, the Yellow-bellied sapsucker. These birds create a series of shallow holes, called sapwells, in the bark of trees like birches and maples. They lap up the sap and also consume insects attracted to the sap. Sapsuckers have a specialized brushy-tipped tongue to help them with their unique foraging habits!

Sapwells are created in rows and are maintained by the woodpeckers to keep the sap flowing. Many other species of birds and mammals also utlize these "feeding stations"- especially the ruby-throated hummingbird!

Which of the many species of woodpeckers have you observed on the Island?

Field notes from Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): North America's largest woodpecker, the pileated, is a crow-sized bi...
06/06/2026

Field notes from Wolf-Moose Project (spring 2026): North America's largest woodpecker, the pileated, is a crow-sized bird that can be heard and seen throughout the Island. They forage for insects (particulalry carpenter ants) by creating large, rectangular holes in trees. The cavities created by their feeding behavior then become important nest sites for a variety of smaller birds and mammals.

They also nest in tree cavities as seen here in May on the Island!

Have you ever been relaxing in camp at the end of your long hike or paddle...and suddenly felt like you were being watch...
06/04/2026

Have you ever been relaxing in camp at the end of your long hike or paddle...and suddenly felt like you were being watched? 👀

The American red squirrel is easily the most-frequently observed mammal on the Island -and probably the most-frequently heard, too! These small and feisty squirrels were thought to be a unique subspecies until genetic testing in 2018 showed that they were the same as red squirrels throughout the Great Lakes and the northeastern US.

While they would love to have a snack from your pack, keeping them wild is better for them and for us. Look (and listen) for squirrels throughout the Island and know that when you find little piles of pine cone scales, you've seen evidence that squirrels have been there!

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (Summer, 2026): We're highlighting some of the many species encountered on the I...
06/02/2026

Field notes from the Wolf-Moose Project (Summer, 2026):

We're highlighting some of the many species encountered on the Island by the research and volunteer crews! With Team III of the Moosewatch volunteers already underway, there are lots of eyes and ears out there making observations this spring.

This snowshoe hare is in-between the winter (white) and summer (brown) fur patterns that help it stay camouflaged from predators. Check out the large hind feet that help these hares function in deep snow in the winter and give them their common name.

Have you encountered a snowshoe hare on the Island?

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Houghton, MI
49931

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