Critter Cams

Next to our organic & biodynamic vineyards are wildlands that we protect as part of our efforts to sustain local biodiversity.  Love and respect for nature in the Frey family started with Paul and Beba Frey who wanted to raise their family in a rural setting, so they moved to Redwood Valley in the 1960s, far from Brooklyn, NY, where they grew up. Since then Frey Vineyards has added much more acreage of nearby protected forestland. For example, in 2000 Frey Vineyards teamed up with the Inland Mendocino County Land Trust to save over 100 acres that included a large redwood grove slated to be cut down. 

Protecting local biodiversity is also a requirement for biodynamic wine certification, as each winery must set aside at least 10% of its land for the wild. This practice ensures that even in largely cultivated areas there is space for wild flora and fauna to thrive.  At Frey, we protect much more than the requisite 10% to support biodiversity. We also make our wines organically and biodynamically because these practices have the least impact on the surrounding ecosystem, as we don’t use harmful chemicals normally sprayed in conventionally farmed vineyards.

To get a better understanding of the wild creatures living in our forestlands, we set up critter cams starting around 2015. To our surprise, a whole assortment of wildlife came into view for the first time, creatures large and small who otherwise are rarely seen. The cams were placed at strategic locations near water streams, trails, and special large trees that seemed to have a magnetic draw to the animals.

Here are the best critter cam shots of 2020 that we’ve put together:

Besides animals, many species of birds came into view, such as the Spotted Towhee, Wild Turkey, Hermit Thrush, Scrub Jay, Turkey Vulture, Cooper’s hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Lazuli Bunting, Northern Flicker, California Quail, Mountain Quail, Scrub Jay, Raven, Steller’s Jay, Western Screech Owl, Western Tanager, Red-shouldered hawk, and Barn Owl. Speaking of owls, we've also set up 12 owl boxes and placed them just where the edges of the forest meet the vineyards.  After two years, 2 barn owl families have raised their chicks using these boxes. Along with the larger owl boxes, we set up each spring over 100 smaller bird boxes throughout our vineyards, attracting mostly bluebirds and tree swallows. We'll have another blog post about that soon, so stay tuned!

Some of the animals that come into view of the critter cams:

Black-tailed Deer

Black-tailed deer are one of the more common creatures on the critter cam, both day and night. There are individuals passing through alone, mother and fawn together, and herds pausing in front of the camera, curious to study what they are seeing! 

Coyote

Coyotes are another popular animal that shows up on our critter cam. We often hear their eerie but beautiful howling.

Raccoons

Raccoons are usually captured in groups. A group of raccoons is called a “gaze” and we have documented several gazes at night on group treks along the creek, or snuggling for warmth on a cold night. 

Black Bear

The American Black Bear makes several appearances. We have footage of individuals frequenting watering holes and favorite scratching trees. We also have family shots of mama bears and cubs throughout the seasons. In summer, the bears tend to be covered in burrs! 

Fisher

This member of the weasel family is one of the rarest carnivores on the ranch. Their numbers have been declining in the Western United States from fur traders and deforestation. They are listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.  Activist groups are calling for the protection of these secretive and elusive mammals. We are honored to be part of the effort to maintain wildlands that fishers live on. 

Gray Fox

The foxes are spotted all around the ranch with the naked eye and also on the critter cams. The footage captures them playing, young kits gallivanting about. They are incredible climbers, and we have some shots of them acting like cats as they scale trees. In the days following the fire of 2017, the foxes moved into the heart of the ranch in the absence of people. As the Frey family slowly moved back, they had several encounters with foxes, including three young kits playing in the yards. As they got older and more people came back to the ranch, the kits moved up into the wilder areas again. 

Striped Skunk

Infamous for good reason, skunks are no strangers to the Frey ranch. While they give warning before spraying, their stinky superpowers have given many a ranch dog cause to pause over the years. The footage of the striped skunks shows these critters cruising around at night. Despite their maligned reputation preceding them, their stripe patterns on the cams are really quite beautiful.

Bobcat

The bobcat footage we have features cat eyes glowing in the darkness, or a playful twitch of the tail as it strolls by during the day.  They are extremely shy of people, very rarely seen in person, but a pleasure to know they are out there through the help of the critter cams.

Ringtail

The elusive ringtail has been spotted on our cams. This animal is so rarely seen that most locals in Mendocino County don’t even know about its existence! Thanks to the critter cams, we’ve spotted ringtail a few times, and are excited to see what future footage reveals.

Squirrel 

Perhaps considered an urban critter by many, there are lots of wild squirrels living in and around the Frey ranch. They enjoy the acorn crop in the fall.

Wood Rat

A native rodent, the wood rat forms complex social structures and amazing architecture in their dens. A single den can have several different rooms. Local naturalist author Kate Marianchild has led several nature walks on the Frey ranch over the years. In her book, “Secrets of the Oak Woodlands,” she talks about the amazing wood rat in greater depth in a chapter devoted exclusively to them.

Bat

Bats are usually nocturnal, so the night cameras have offered us some great footage of them flying down to take a sip of water from a stream. However at dusk, sometimes we can see bats with the naked eye coming out to eat bugs.

Possum

The lowly possum has recently been experiencing something of a renaissance as research has shown that possums eat ticks in large quantities. Ticks, largely responsible for the spread of Lyme disease in humans, have gotten a bad reputation as vectors for the spread of Lyme. Possums then, are being touted as helpful to keep the tick population in check.