Ominous Visitors

 

It seemed these turkey vultures spotted a raven digging around in our compost bin and came down to investigate.  They ended up relaxing and basking in the yard.

Another Success For "April"!

 This is the 4th year in a row that our Hooded Merganser "April" has had a successful fledging of ducklings.  Our "river cam" caught her yesterday morning headed downstream with what appears to be nine ducklings.  I will count the egg membranes left behind in the wood shavings in her nest box to verify.

Big Mammal Trail Cam Bonanza!

 About 2 weeks ago, 6 miles into the forest, we came upon mud with tracks of bear, bobcats, opossums, and other animals.  We came back the next day and set up a trail cam on this remote ridge jeep trail.  We left this camera for 10 days, as well as another one off another spur trail several miles away.  

When we returned last Sunday to retrieve them our hearts sank as we could see the camera was aiming down at the ground. Something had knocked it hard.  We didn't know when it had been knocked. The whole 10 days could have been a waste.  When we downloaded the 64 videos from the camera back home, the answer was clear.  It had been knocked down about one hour before our return.  Below is the evidence of who the culprit was.

Four days earlier, another drama had unfolded.

A male Roosevelt Elk trotted by in a bit of a hurry.

Eight minutes later, a Mountain Lion followed.

The next morning, the big cat returned.  Mountain Lions can and do kill and eat elk of all sizes.  I watched a video of one locked onto a bull elk's throat and grappling its head.  This apparently asphyxiated the elk enough to weaken it, allowing the lion to bring it down.  We don't know if this was the case in this instance.

Deer seem intensely aware of their surroundings.  My camera was in the bushes and is somewhat camouflaged.  In spite of this, if something appears to not belong there, they react in fear or curiosity.  Maybe it looks like eyes peering at them.  

The other camera, after 10 days, caught only this bobcat.  Not too far away, maybe 200 yards, we found fresh remains of a mostly eaten opossum.

Of the 64 videos taken by the first camera (bears, Mountain Lion, deer, elk), 53 were of branches blowing in late afternoon breezes.  Such is the life of a trail cam geek.

Oregon Coast Council For The Arts: Member Show

 Gail, who is an OCCA member, entered a piece she created for the members show that ran for the past month at the Newport Visual Arts Center.  

Gail at the Newport Visual Arts Center

Gail's entry was a multimedia piece that expresses her loss over the past year, including loss of her cat 

Yummy Delicious, the loss of much of our democracy, and the damage inflicted on nature.

It was a fun day yesterday seeing the show and then going to the community theater production of "Clue". 

California Trip, Part Three

 On Monday the 7th, Nick, Lauren, and I went to the 1,600 acre Moore County Regional Park in the eastern hills above Napa Valley.  I think my time in California was the best week of the year for wildflowers, green grass, and perfect weather.

Nick in his glory

Quintessential Northern California

There were patches of Pipevine with numerous Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies flying around them.  These butterflies only lay their eggs on the Pipevine plant which the emerging  caterpillars feed on.

Hello

We came upon a Great Blue Heron rookery that also included a Double-crested Cormorant.  Nick took this picture with his cell phone held up against binoculars.  His hands are so much steadier than mine!

We had to send Nick to time out in this old circus wagon for excessive plant excitement.

The end of a fine day

The next day, I drove over to Santa Rosa to see my friend Jim and his wife Mary Ann.  Jim and I took a long hike in Annadel State Park  which is a short walk from his house.  Jim got me into backpacking about 24 years ago.

Jim

Lily and Indian Paintbrush

Red Larkspur

Hillside Woodland Star

The next day I flew back to Oregon to be with my girls, Gail, Daisy, and Penelope.  Gail did a fine job holding down the fort.  The trip went without a hitch.  I'm glad the folks I visited are doing well and enjoying life.

California Trip, Part Two

 On Sunday the 6th, Nick, Lauren, and I spent the day slow hiking in northeastern Napa County.  None of us had hiked the Oathill Mine Trail starting from the Aetna Springs Trailhead.  We have hiked the route from Calistoga up to the top of the mountain, but not down the other side to the bottom at Aetna Springs.

This is what remains of the resort, which is currently being restored.  It was developed in 1891, and was a popular summer destination for people from San Francisco and Hollywood.  In 1966, Ronald Reagan announced his intention to run for governor in the dining hall here.  The road from here to the trailhead was a narrow rocky affair with a sketchy washout in one place.  The whole area is remarkable for being serene, having little traffic, and being mostly rugged countryside with scattered large oaks.

There is a lot of volcanic rock making for a striking landscape.  Fire swept through here in 2020, burning 315,000 acres in 5 counties.

Waiting for the next big earthquake?

Oat Hill Mine Road, now a trail, was a stagecoach road that linked Calistoga and Aetna Springs.  You can see the wagon wheel ruts worn into the volcanic stone.  The "road" is 8.3 miles long and climbs 1,500 feet from Calistoga.

Nick and Lauren's love of plants is infectious.  They had me photographing and identifying wildflowers along with them.

Henderson's Shooting Star

Bush Poppy

Looking at all those Kellogg's Monkey Flowers!

Indian Warrior

Kellogg's Monkey Flower

A lot to look at on this hike.

Nick spent a lot of time down on the ground.

To me this area is a real treasure of raw nature.

You can see the old stagecoach road crossing the middle of the picture.  It must have been one bumpy ride!  You can also see the burned fallen trees.

Miniature Lupine

Lily of some sort?

Erythronium Californicum

Scarlet Fritillary

Diogenes' Lantern

We had to stop to check out this '30-31 Ford Model A Coupe at the historic Pope Valley General Store.  This is just like my first car I bought for $100 when I was 14.  It would be perfect for chugging around the Forest Service Roads here in Oregon!

To be continued

California Trip, Part One

 This month I spent a week in Northern California with a little side trip to Santa Barbara.  It was rather spontaneous planning, but I thought this would be the perfect time to spend time hiking with Nick, get to know Lauren (Nick's partner) better, and see a few friends that I haven't seen in a number of years.  I flew down to Sacramento on April 2, rented a car, and drove to Napa.

 

Nick is very much into studying and appreciating native plants.  This is his own native plant nursery.  His day job is working at a family run garden center.  

Since Nick wouldn't have time off for another 4 days, I drove down to Santa Barbara to stay with my long time friend John and his partner Mary.  I also wanted to see Nora, who was a wonderful caregiver for my parents for several years.

John and I go back to 7th grade at Santa Barbara Junior High.  We also spent several months traveling around Europe on motorcycles when we were 18.

John and Mary took me hiking above Montecito, not far from their home.

It was good to see water running in California.  This is Cold Springs Creek, which had a massive debris flow a few years ago killing 23 people down below.  

The view overlooking Santa Barbara, the harbor, and the Channel Islands in the distance.  That's ceanothus blooming in the lower left.

It was great to catch up with Nora, who I hadn't seen since 2011.   We had a long lunch during which I had my first jamaica, a soft drink made with hibiscus flowers.  Nora and her co-worker Mercedes were the glue that made it possible for Mom and Dad to remain in their home for their last few years.  It was reassuring to know they were in good hands, getting consistent professional care.  

To be continued 

Preparing for the Return of Ducks

 I have been quite busy the past week or two getting the duck boxes prepped for installation. I built a new one for River Song, built mounting setups and predator guards for 3 others, and installed them with the much appreciated help of Marty.  Most of the boxes are in areas of standing water, boot sucking mud, and brush, including blackberries.

This could be "April" and her beau right near my original duck box a couple weeks ago.  They are Hooded Mergansers, and have used the nesting box the last 3 years.  I have a new camera installed in their box and hopefully she'll move in by the end of the month.

This is the new box I built for our property.  I originally made them for Wood Ducks, but have since learned that they prefer ponds to faster moving streams. Instead, we get Hooded Mergansers on the river.

Marty got permission from the landowner of this property to put a duck box on this old mill pond next to the Beaver Creek State Natural Area.  We installed 5 boxes yesterday in 4 different locations.

Our next stop was putting in this box at South Beaver Creek which is a watershed being rehabilitated by the Lincoln County Watersheds Council.  That gives us 2 boxes there.  Each box setup costs about $165 in materials, which the LCWC or State Parks reimburses us for.  Donations provide for boxes on private property.

We put our next box in another wetland, Starr Creek, that is being restored by the LCWC next to Alsea Bay.  Big logs were dropped in by helicopter to slow the water and make it spread out, creating habitat for juvenile salmon to feed and shelter.

A lot of log placement and plantings of native trees and shrubs went on here. You can see our duck box way in the back.  It will be interesting to see how this area evolves.

Here is a link to a short video of this project, and another in an area further inland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk_Jf3XTyVs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jh5RE22SO0