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Category Archives: Wildlife At The Mill
Run Of The Mill View
Climbing down the ladder to the chip hopper. Hey, what is that black thing?
I’m working on a presentation that I’m giving at the Redwood Region Logging Conference on Friday. I wanted to put some new photos into my Power Point presentation. My favorite view of the mill site is from the top of the chip hopper at the Pole Plant. It gives a great overview of the entire complex, so I took my shots and climbed down. I normally post lots of pictures of wildlife around the mill site, but I haven’t shown much of the complex. By just looking at the wildlife pictures from my category called “Wildlife At The Mill“, one would think this place was a wildlife refuge. In a way it is. The wildlife here is accustomed to living next to and amongst the mill site. No one bothers them and they have adapted to their environment. It is truly amazing how adaptable nature is.
Mt Shasta rises in the background of the pole yard and the log decks. Mt Shasta is the second largest mountain in the Cascades at 14,179 feet.
The Otter Pond is surrounded by the sawmill, co-generation plant and pole yard. The otters don’t seem to mind. You can see the otter post Otter, Up Periscope. The tower with the osprey nest is just visible in the upper right corner. The osprey posts are, Osprey Remodel, Osprey Love, and Here Come The Osprey.
The Pole Plant.
Looking down the chip conveyor.
Osprey Remodel
The osprey returns to the nest with a stick.
They began rebuilding their nest the day she arrived and the two osprey were back together. This is what they typically do after the winter storms take there toll on the nest. This particular nest is only one year old and must have weathered the winter fairly well. They spiffed it up the first day and that was that. They moved in.
The building materials arrive.
Doing some touch up to the nest.
Off for more sticks.
Just a bit of work and this nest is good to go.
The picture below is how the nest looking in 2011. Usually, they add a new layer to the nest every year. Not so much this year. In 2011 the nest had been built up much more and was on the opposite side of the tower. Normally, the nest gets taller and taller until a severe Winter storm blows the top of it off. I’ve seen the nest over 6 feet tall. Last year the nest survived some very bad storms. Late in the season the nest was gone after a moderate storm. I checked under the nest for debris, but found very little. I found out later that the local power company employees climbed the tower and removed the nest.
This was the nest in 2011.
When they osprey returned and found no nest they immediately started rebuilding. Although, as often happens with men and women they had a bit of a disagreement. They each began building nest on opposite sides of the tower. As typically happens when there is a disagreement, she got her way and the nest ended up in it’s current location.
The is nothing more relaxing then a cozy nest.
Osprey Love
Last week he was still patiently waiting for his mate.
On Friday our lovelorn male osprey was still waiting alone when I left work.
Late this morning she arrived. She came one week after he arrived.
This morning when I arrived there was only one bird in the nest. When I went back outside about mid-morning and she had arrived. The two of them sat close together for quite some time and every now and then, one would call out. I took some pictures then put my camera away into my truck.
Blitz grazes during a break.
I let the girls out of the truck for a short break. The girls ran to the far side of the parking lot to a field they like, and I walked after them. By the time I had almost reached them, I looked back at the osprey. They were now locked in mating embrace. Immediately, I turned and ran for my camera in the truck, but their interlude only lasted about ten seconds. I didn’t make it. A missed opportunity for sure over a rookie mistake. The male immediately flew away and didn’t return until the afternoon.
He keeps watching her and she keeps looking away. Playing coy.
She is warming up before the big moment.
He is enthralled with her.
She’s a beauty.
Back together again.
Osprey Vigil
Waiting……
In his vigil, he sits on the tower waiting for his mate to return. He looks so lonely. He won’t work on the nest until she returns. Occasionally he leaves and comes back with a fish. Then, he sits and waits. He’s been here for five days waiting.
She is late….
On top of the tower with only an empty nest.
Here Come The Osprey!
The almond orchards are blooming in the valley and the buttercups started blooming yesterday in our yard. Today, the long anticipated harbinger of Spring arrived when the first osprey was in the nest at the electrical tower by the mill. We are still watching for its mate to show. Spring is unofficially here!
The first osprey has returned to the nest.
This one looks a little cranky.
I wasn’t planning another post today, but I’ve been waiting for the ospreys. https://theforesterartist.com/2013/02/15/the-birds-of-spring/ Welcome back!
The Birds of Spring
Our weather has been reaching the 70’s during the last week. The grass is growing and buds are beginning to swell. Around the Mill Site there is another sign of Spring. Pairing off and searching for nest sites, the birds are all around.
A killdeer scouting for a gravelly nesting site.
Goldeneye couple on the river.
The cororants relaxing.
A pair of mallard soon to be nesting.
A beautiful pair of Canada geese.
Teka stares forlornly at a beautiful pair of Canada geese.
The empty osprey nest waits for it’s builders to return. They should be here in the next couple of weeks. Truly a sign of Spring’s impending return.
Coyotes Attack! Oh, nevermind.
The deer herd feeding in the hay field.
Something caught my attention, while cruising around the North end of the log decks. Lots of animals were running in the hay field. The mill property has a couple hundred acres of hay fields and ponds on the North end of the log yard. Each afternoon a large herd of deer comes into the fields to graze. This morning, they were already in the field and running all over the place. This is odd behavior for the deer because they weren’t leaving. They usually wander randomly around the field feeding. If anyone gets too close they just leave the field for the cover of the nearby Valley Oaks. This time they were running helter skelter around the field, but not leaving. I was about a quarter mile away and could not discern what was going on. I pulled out my camera and zoomed in on the action. Then I saw the three coyotes. This is what happened next.
Enjoying the sunny morning, the deer placidly graze. They seem unconcerned about anything going on around them.
Moving in on the deer herd, this coyote was intent on having venison for breafast.
The coyotes non-chalantly move closer and closer to the herd.
The big buck spots the sneaky coyotes.
Two does and the big buck aren’t going to tolerate the coyotes stalking the herd.
This brave doe takes the lead in dealing with the interlopers.
The two does surround the lead coyote. The coyote was not expecting this.
The second coyote decides not to stick around. No loyalty amoung coyotes.
The coyote is having second thoughts and a venison meal.
Deciding it isn’t worth it the coyotes back off.
No venison today for this coyote.
Perhaps a nice field mouse would be good instead.
With the threat dealt with, the herd goes back to a leisurely breakfast.
Otter At The Mill
This handsome otter was swimming around our log pond at the mill in search of an afternoon snack.
This otter and the rest of his clan are regulars around the mill site. The pond where I took these pictures is smack in the middle of the entire complex. They visit the log ponds, canals, and the river depending on what is on the menu. We have a floating platform that suspends a water intake into the pond, but the otters seem to think it was put there for their personal sun basking pleasures. One of my crew members insists that it is their private restroom, while he complains about all the “otter poop!” Those are my words, not his.
On the menu today, fish!
Up periscope.
As he swam around the pond the lighting was constantly changing. He turned out to be a very curious and co-operative subject.
Otter on golden pond.
The old log pond….otter pond.
Hey, You Aren’t Supposed Be Here!
Who is the brightest of them all?
It is a new year with new pictures to take, and new art to make. I’m back at work and it is a beautiful, cool and sunny day here in Northern California. I spend part of my time at an industrial mill complex. When folks think of an industrial site they rarely think of doing wildlife photography. Although, it seems counter-intuitive, this site is a magnet for wildlife. There is water all around the site and the wild areas here, get little disturbance. This morning I took a few pictures of some of our residents. I have taken so many pictures of wildlife here at the mill that I am going to start a new catagory called Wildlife At The Mill.
I’m not sure they are speaking to each other.
Mist forms as the icy logs begin to warm
The Great Blue Heron, also known as “The Fly Up The Creek”.
THE FORESTER ARTIST 