A Paddle and Checking Out Some Big Nests and My Old Well Is Plugged Up

Monday May 10, 2021 Jenner CA.

Paddle day

I needed to get some rear shocks ordered for my car so I got my kayak stuff together and went down to the local auto parts store and ordered some, then headed for Jenner to kayak for the day around 1 PM.

I headed on up the river going by these ducks sitting on a stump.

Plan to hike and check out some big nests

I had a plan today to hike up to this big rock up on the hill and see if there were any turkey vultures using the nest there and then returning a different way to check out some peculiar barn owl nests on the way back down.

The trail

The water level was low enough today so I could land my boat here to go up the trail to the big rock.

The trail starts out good for the first 20 feet or so.

But then the trail is mostly overgrown and straight up the hill. One must know where the trail is to get up the hill otherwise the brush gets too thick and you can’t get anywhere. The trail is full of poison oak which I don’t get or I wouldn’t be up here as one cannot avoid it, it’s so thick.

The big rock

If one knows where to go you’ll come out here just below the big rock. I go around the left side to get up on top of it.

Views

From the top of the rock it has a nice view down river.

And up the river which I enjoyed for a bit once I got on the top of the rock and rested up.

Turkey vulture nest

After a spell I went to the bottom of the rock to this spot and looked for any active nesting of the turkey vultures but there was none, so no turkey vulture was using this nest this year. The nest is just the ground under these ferns as they do not build a nest but lay two eggs on a suitable place on the ground. When they are here the ground below the ferns is well trampled.

Barn owl nests

I was going to go back down the hill a different way to check out the barn owl nests through these trees but I couldn’t find the way right away and had to look for it which took awhile as without it I couldn’t get through. I finally discovered it was that black hole by the big rock and headed for it to get under the big trees.

Here is one of the big barn owl nests up in the fir trees. This one is about six feet across and the largest one is about ten feet across.

Here is another one showing one of the entrances on the left. They go inside these nests and don’t nest on the top of them, sorta like a cave.

Here’s a little closer shot of the entrance on the side. I would of liked to get up on one but I don’t like heights much especially at my older age and besides most of the nests couldn’t easily be accessed as there was too much tree brush. There were six or so of these big nests up in the trees and they are likely very old nests that get used over and over.

I made it back down the hill to  my boat and headed down river going around the island when this otter swam past me and disappeared.

At the bottom end of the island I went past these three terns resting in the water.

It was about 6 when I went on home.

Plugged up well

That evening I turned on my old well and it ran for about five minutes and stopped. I know there’s water down there but it seems the well casing might be plugged up which isn’t good and I’m not sure how to unplug it.

Nice day.