Frog Eggs

The very warm weather of early March started mating season of the Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) and egg masses were soon found in many of the pools of water. The newly laid frog eggs looked like black dots surrounded with a clear "jelly".



After a couple of weeks, the black dots of the frog eggs have changed to elongated objects with a bump for a head and a tail that is starting to twitch.



This photo of frog eggs was taken when they were laid early in the month. Today, when I check the frog eggs in this pool of water, I found hundreds of small tadpoles were starting to hatch and swim around.

Pipeline Markings

As sections of pipe are assembled and welded together to create a pipeline, several markings are placed on the pipe to document conditions and inspections of the pipe.

Checked and Okay-ed on March 26th



Pipe coating needs attention.



Sign-off of completed steps (?)

Pipeline Construction

Pipeline equipment continues to move in and out of the pipeline routes on the hill. Traffic is stopped will a dozer is unloaded at the road crossing of the Wesauking Pipeline.



Bending pipe on the Wesauking Pipeline.



Traffic is stopped at the access road to the Wilmot Pipeline for a crane used to unload equipment.



Removing pipeline blocking on the Wilmot Pipeline.

Pipeline Construction

The pipeline welding crew was back working on welding the last few sections of pipe for the pipeline boring.



While one crew finishes the pipe welding, another crew started sandblasting and coating the welded joints.

Sandblasting the welds after they pass an X-ray inspection.



A welded joint after sandblasting.



Preheating the cold steel pipe prior to coating.



A protective coating of Powercrete® epoxy is applied to seal the welded pipeline joints. The epoxy coating will cure within minutes.

Pipeline Construction

After weeks of unseasonably warm weather it was a brutal return to typical March weather. The morning clouds and a few flakes of snow gave way to bright afternoon sun, but the temperature stayed in the 30's most of the day as the March winds howled with gusts over 30 miles per hours.



One of the best jobs working on the pipeline was preheating the pipe. Several workers took advantage of the extra heat from the torch.



View of the torches heating the pipe. In the background in the pipe is the glow of a pipe joint being welded.


Cleaning a welded joint.


Welding the 24 inch pipeline.

Roadside Grouse

At first I thought it was just luck and good timing that allowed me to get some close-up pictures of a grouse but now I think the grouse is just friendly. I have narrowed down the location of the grouse and the grouse will run down to the edge of the road and pose for pictures each time I drive by.

Pipeline Construction

Welding of the 24 inch pipeline continued today as did the work on the pipeline boring project. The excavator working on the pipeline bore enlarging is just visible in the background clearing in the woods.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

For the past week of warm weather I have been watching Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) collect in a flooded pipeline trench for the spring mating season. When I checked the trench today I found several masses of frog eggs but very few frogs. Most of the frogs had completed their mating and were heading back home to the wood. I found the following frog on the pipeline right-of-way heading for the woods.

Pipeline Construction

The pipeline welding crew was back at our cabin property to start welding the 24 inch pipe that will be pulled back through the bore hole that goes under Route 467 and Johnson Creek.



The 24 inch pipe has a much thicker wall thickness (0.500" vs. 0.375") than the 20 inch pipeline. The thicker wall thickness will require more welding.



Prior to welding the pipe joints must be aligned with a pneumatic tool that will expand to center and hold the two sections of pipe.



Close up view of the alignment tool.



Welding the pipe sections.









A completed weld.

How hot was it today ...

We are only a couple of days into spring and it was hot enough today for some people to cool off in Wysox creek.

Pipeline Construction

With the pilot hole for Wilmot Pipeline boring project complete the next step is to enlarge the bore hole from 10 inches to 24 inches. The enlarging requires forcing a cutting tool up the path of the pilot hole. The 24 inch cutting tool is rotated as it is forced through the pilot hole by the directional drilling rig pushing from one end and an excavator, 1/2 mile away, pulling on drill pipe from the other end of the pilot hole.

This photo shows the excavator pulling on the drill pipe as it exits the pilot hole 400 feet away.



Video of the excavator pulling on the rotating drill pipe. The sound is created by the rotating drill pipe.

Frog Eggs

As the warm weather continues, the frogs are busy with their spring mating. I found this mud covered frog in a small (2 foot by 3 foot) mud-hole in the pipeline right-of-way. Three days later the frog was still in the mud-hole along with a large mass of eggs.



I found these frog eggs in the wetland area near the pipeline crossing.



Close-up of newly laid frog eggs.

Pipeline Construction

The crew working on the Wesauking Pipeline continues to position pipe along the pipeline right-of-way. The following photo is from the west end of Maureen Brady's property looking north.



The view from Maureen's property looking east toward Joyce Road. Her wetland area is in the middle and our barn is on the right of the pipeline.

Roadside Grouse

For the second time within a couple of weeks I was able to photograph a grouse close up.



This grouse must be nesting in the area since it is within 50 yards of the last grouse sighting.

Pipeline Construction

Wilmot Pipeline

After weeks of directional drilling, the drill bit for the pilot hole of the Wilmot Pipeline boring exited to the surface on Rose Ellis' property, 1/2 mile from its starting point.

Additional drilling will enlarge the pilot hole to 36 inches and a 1/2 mile long section of 24 inch pipeline will be pulled back through the hole.



The drill bit exited the ground exactly on the predetermined target at 4:45PM today. A worker used an excavator to dig a small pit at the target location prior to the arrival of the drill bit. The drill bit exited the ground dead center on target. A worker measures the exact location of the exit point.


Close-up view of the drill bit.


With the pilot hole complete, the workers remove the drill bit, "mud motor" and guidance equipment from the drill pipe.



Wesauking Pipeline

Work continued today on the positioning of pipe along the Wesauking Pipeline route. A truckload of pipe makes its way along the pipeline route near the wetlands area of Maureen Brady's property.


An excavator helps pull the truckload of pipe up a steep section of the right-of-way on Maureen's Property.