Welcome to our “Lake Wooley News” page where we get connected with Nature in our own back yards. Nature connects us all in one way or another.

June 2011:

The sun has been creating a cozy environment outside our window this week at the Milwaukie office.

The greenery around the pond is luxuriant and made even more so, knowing the abundance of life being created and nestled in it.

We humans adapt to the added “webbed” foot traffic as cars come to a standstill allowing mother and father goose to escort their little fluffs through the parking lot and across busy streets.

Our Wild Life sightings so far this spring have been:

Canadian Goose, a variety of Ducks, Red wing blackbirds, Song Sparrows, Black cap Chickadees, Green Heron, Blue Heron, Egret, King Fisher, Hairy Woodpecker, large frogs, Humming birds and one very large fluffy Cat sitting under my window.

Our Tillamook drive has been enjoyable this year too. Even though we had a huge amount of snow, it was beautiful to see. Only wished we could have stopped and tromped around in it some. The Elk were down low and visible well into spring and The Bald Eagles are hunting up river. The Herons and Egrets have been in the fields getting their breakfast and again, the domestic Cat is out and about hunting for mice and the elusive ground nesting birds.

Spring, the time of renewal.

Susan Grace
Treatment Coordinator / Naturalist

April 2011:

The trees are budding out, daffodils and crocus are in full bloom, there are song sparrows in our “Tepee” bird house and sightings of hummingbirds. Chickadees, Red Winged Blackbirds and Wrens are nesting around the edges and quickly flying to and from the feeders. They seem in such a rush. All the flutter is inspiring!

A Rogue Goose has chased the mated pairs away from the usual nest sites. We hypothesize that it has lost its mate and is possibly holding space for her return. Whatever the scenario, he’s been quite insistent about it. So, this year we will miss our “Mother Goose” show which we have enjoyed in the past.

We would love to see what kind of feeders and houses you’re using this year and learn about the feathered friends in your yard.

One of our patients told us that they are brooding Duck Eggs in her class room! How exciting!

Are any of you watching “Raptor Cam”? Red Tail Hawks are SO Cool!


March 2011:

SPRING is upon us once again! HURRAY!!!!

The Crocus are up, the buds are on the shrubs and some of our migrating birds are starting to arrive. The male Red Wing Black Birds have returned to the lake (the girls stayed all winter) and Song Sparrows are arriving too. The singing is refreshing to hear. With all of the “winter storm warnings" and freezing cold temps these past few weeks I don’t know how the “early birds” survived, but they’re still here and sounding strong.

The Canadian geese are chasing around the lake and in the parking lot too. There are various ducks arriving, pairs of Buffle Heads, Hooded Mergansers and Mallards.

It’s the annual pre-nesting ritual. Mother Goose is scoping out her usual nest sight outside our window while Papa is swimming back and forth, ever watchful for any intruders. The Red Wing Black Bird is landing overhead and carrying on, trying to mark his territory boundary. (As if the geese cared).

We had an amazing visit from a Snowy Egret a couple of weeks ago. Didn’t realize how big they were until seeing this one up close.

Gosh, so many ripples in such a little pond.

We’re hoping the Sharp Shinned Hawk stays in Canada so our office feeders are a safe place for our returning and resident feathered friends.

If you’re in the parking lot and see a hawk sitting in a tree overhead please let me know so I can take the feeder in. This will make them move on to a more productive sight.

Please stay tuned for our “Mother Goose” updates coming soon.

The Dance is on.

Susan Grace
Treatment Coordinator / Naturalist


October 2010:

This year on Lake Wooley we have witnessed the most incredible events.

The mama goose chose her nest site across the pond on a small patch of mud beneath the shade of some deciduous trees. (Trees that drop their leaves in winter).

We watched her gather twigs and grass and use her own fluffs to create her nest and then we were privileged to watch as 5 eggs were laid. Every day she would carefully and gently use her bill to turn each egg and then settle back down on them. Papa goose swam back and forth on the pond keeping watch over his family, chasing off intruders here and there. Rarely did Mama leave for food or a swim.

One day, after about a month, Mama started fussing and moving around differently than usual and then she lifted up her chest and wing to expose an egg. We all gathered at the window and there, right in front of us, was a little hole being made in the top of the shell. Soon there was an entire gosling head peeking out! After that one, there were two more in succession.  It was a grand day. I can’t speak for anyone else standing there, but, I felt like somehow I was included and part of her success just by keeping watch and checking on them each day. The cycle of life in all it’s sweetness.

Fast forward to September.

The pond drama has calmed down. Baby ducks and geese have grown and are now hard to tell apart from their parents.

This week we had a Green Heron come swooping in and land right in front of our window. It was so cool to see it up close. They look like their head is just stuck on their shoulders but this one saw a frog and stretched its neck out and I swear it was as long as it’s body! Then it flew to the other side of Lake Wooley and blended so well with the environment that we watched it disappear standing right in front of our eyes.

Next day it came back and spent more time frog hunting and while it was busy doing its thing a King Fisher came screaming in, as King Fishers do. It was on the hunt too.

I came to work one morning and there was a hawk on top of our building. It flew to a nearby tree so I was able to get a good look at its flight pattern and then it sat for a while so it could be identified. A Sharp Shinned Hawk. Anyone know about them? I had to look them up myself. Seems they hang out around feeders and cull out the weak birds. In fact, they migrate from Canada but have dwindled in numbers here because Canadians have a lot of bird feeders out these days. Carnivorous critters go where the food source is. Sad to think about but they’re just making a living like the rest of us.

That’s it for this update. Hope you get involved in your own back yard. There’s life everywhere you go. Enjoy it!

September 2010: By Susan, Treatment Coordinator at Dr. Wooley’s Office

A couple of weeks ago Hailey T., one of our Tillamook patients, came in for her regular appointment and brought a photo of herself and her sheep “Tater”. They were getting ready for the Tillamook Fair and he had just had his shearing (hair cut). So-oooooooo cute!

In fact, a lot of our patients were getting ready for the fair that week and made it sound very exciting.  So much to do, so little time.

I was starting to feel a bit left out!

A beautiful day for a drive and a perfect day to go to the Fair.

The Tillamook Fair Grounds is a lovely space with the most wonderful barns full of busy kids and their treasured animals. The smell was marvelous, yes, I like the smell of animals. Comforting some how. Reminded me of the summers spend on our ranch as a kid.
I even got a few snaps of “Tater” (and Hailey of course), while they were in the arena being judged.

I saw milk cows , packing a few gallons, all lined up in the field. Couldn’t tell one from the other but they were the cleanest cows I’d ever seen.(Ours were open range cows. Kind of crusty with a lot of attitude). The Tillamook cows were well behaved and acted like they lined up next to each other every day………..I was duly impressed.

I shied away from the carnival area, taking photos from a safe distance. Memories got me dizzy just thinking about it. More power to you who dare to cross that threshold! Brave souls.

Someone out there should challenge Dr. Wooley to a roller coaster “Ride Off” some day. I’m told it’s one of his favorite rides.

Thanks Tillamook for all the fun!

August 2010: In our three offices we have wildlife making itself known.

In Tillamook we encounter Elk, Bald Eagles, Deer, Hawks, Herons, and of course there is the “Greeter Bull”, nose ring and all, as we come into town. We look for him every Monday as we approach the city limits. He must be off earning his keep right now because he’s been MIA for the last two Mondays.

In our downtown Portland office we have the fire escape. Don’t laugh. We find nature in the most peculiar places. Even on the 7th floor fire escape. We have sparrows sitting outside the window singing their little hearts out at the top of their lungs; I mean air sacks (birds don’t have lungs). Sometimes, they will sing for the longest time. It took a few times for me to realize that they are not there to entertain me, such is the human ego, although they are very entertaining. They must be seeing their reflection in the window and singing loudly to show that other guy who is more talented and should win the fair maiden.

And of course we have our wonderful “Lake Wooley” in our Milwaukie office. This has been a source of rich entertainment year round as those of you who come to our office may have experienced. There are so many layers to the lake and the drama that occurs on the lake, that it will take several installments to get it on these pages.