The Mill - Red Fox, Flowers, Fungus & More

Where I take the eagle's nest photographs is a lumber mill which dates back to 1801. It's a family operation and has been in the same family since it started. The lumber for the flooring in our house came from this mill. Though still operational today, it's not as busy as it was back in the days of shipbuilding in Bath. The mill is on Winnegance Bay on the Kennebec River in Phippsburg. It sits on a point of land with the bay on the west side and a large, shallow marsh on the east. I have referred to it as 'The Magnificent Acre' in previous writings, though it is well more than a single acre of land. It's private property, but the land owner is an old acquaintance of my husband's and I've come to know him quite well myself through my wildlife photography adventures. I have posted photographs of a Woodchuck, snakes, foxes, flowers and loads of birds ranging from eagles to Pileated woodpeckers, wading birds and warblers, big and small all from this same parcel of land. The abundance of diverse flora and fauna  really is impressive. I am surprised at the numbers of people who go there to buy lumber who never notice a thing as huge and significant as the eagle's nest directly above them. Early one morning, I encountered a man there who had been scouring the woods for mushrooms. He returned to his car, where his Chihuahua was sleeping, with a fistful of Chantrelles or "Chicken Of The Woods," as some call them. He was secretive about his handful of delicacies, furtively looking downward and way, though he eyed the woods from where he had come, as he said "Yes, yes, Chantrells. I know a place up there..........." Reflexively, he cupped his hand over his find. He had not noticed the eagle's nest. There is a warehouse where lumber is stored and some heavy equipment. There's a lot of human activity, but the critters don't seem phased by any of it. The eagle stares down while the fox kits romp around on the log piles and snakes snooze on beds of reeds.  

(I nearly stepped on this Garter snake which was resting on the broken pieces of last year's Cat-O-Nine Tails.)

Canada Geese fly and light on Winnegance Bay and n the march on the east side. I've never seen other kinds of geese with them, but I always look to be sure. One day, I'll see something besides Canadas, I'm sure of it.

There are lots of wildflowers. This is Sweet flag or Bog iris. These flowers are on the very edge of the bay which is heavily salt mixed from the incoming tides. This shows that this type of iris is very salt tolerant.

This fox kit is one of the ones I posted about a month ago, now much larger. I saw its mother leap like a Gazelle over grasses into the brush right after I took this photo of her offspring.

Oh, Baby, Baby! Barred Owl and Red Fox Babies

This is a baby Barred owl or owlet. The little owl appears to be one of two. The other one stayed in its nest cavity, but I could see it up through branches. Neither of them can fly yet, so I'm not sure how this one got to this branch which is roughly thirty feet from the nest. The nest cavity is in an oak where a large branch broke off years ago. It's a typical Barred owl nest. Last year, I took photographs of the nest cavity and what turned out to be two adult Barreds. They did not have a successful nesting. If the mother laid eggs, nothing hatched. The property owners say that they have been aware of nesting in the same site for about five years and that probably, there were owls there before they realized it. The property owners where busy in their yard when I arrived. The second I got out of my car, I could hear an owl making the buzzing noise they issue when they are annoyed. The owls seem to think they own the whole block! The property owners say that they haven't had any Red squirrel problems there in the years since they've had the owls in residence. In Maine, Barred owls lay eggs in April. The owlets fly about 4-5 weeks after that. According to Wikipedia, the Barred owl is thought responsible for the decline of the Spotted owl population. Barred owls are more aggressive then Spotted and compete for nesting sites. On the west coast, a study was undertaken where Barred owls were shot to allow the Spotted owls nesting opportunities.

There are reportedly five kits in this litter. I only saw two. They were not shy. I'll go back to check on the others. I photographed these baby foxes and the owlet today, all in Phippsburg.

 

This little guy is about to yawn.

This was one of the two fox kits that I saw. He could hardly be bothered with me from his nap.

     Thanks to Wikipedia for information about the Barred owls.

Renard, the French Kisser

CHIPPING SPARROW

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD ON HIGH

PHIPPSBURG PHOX

THIS is one of the foxes from my previous posts. Those youngsters were growing so fast that I honestly could not say for sure if it's one of them or Mom or Dad. I am sure it's one from that same den though, because of where I saw it. It is very skittish and a wonder that I saw it at all, never mind got shots of it!

Update: Phippsburg Four

     I took these photographs yesterday. The fox kits are warier now and harder to photograph. In search of food, they are roaming further from the den and for longer stretches of time. They are becoming more solitary and not spending as much time together in a 'puppy heap.' They look much more like their parents with lots of red in their fur. This is a skeleton of a chicken carcass, I'm guessing. It had been picked clean and was discarded by the den door. A concerned citizen posted this cautionary sign. Since there are fewer than six cars a day on this dirt road, it's amusing!

FOXES

Near our house, there is a Red fox den with four kits. I'm estimating that they are about 3 weeks old. They are old enough to roam from the den and play at catching grasshoppers and other quarry. They are not terribly shy. I took these photos without getting out of my car. I had to be patient, though.
     I read a book for a while, waiting for them to pop out of the den. The book was an autobiography of a woman with bipolar disorder. I understand a lot about her life; when I see beings like these baby foxes, my heart and mood soar in a very bipolar way.
     I waited for them alone, deep in the spruce woods, which some people would find uncomfortable. It's very still and after awhile, a little spooky. You could have heard the famous pin drop on the lush pads of emerald moss. I was careful not to make noise by inadvertently clunking the camera or leaning on the car horn - something dumb like that. I'm sure that Marlin Perkins never did anything that stupid. After all, the man advertised insurance! I had my camera ready, in case the foxes appeared and I was rewarded. Eventually, the mom showed up. I had heard her rasping bark coming through the woods. Her rust colored fur was beautifully highlighted by the sun. She was quite vocal with the kits issuing a growling purr to them. They barked back at her grubbing around for what ever food she had brought to them. She hacked up globs of stuff she'd brought which they enthusiastically 'wolfed' down. They rolled around on the ground, leaped from rocks into the brush, made mock attacks on one another, and then curled up together and went to sleep on the moss.