It won't be long until the origins of this thing are out in the open.
Still could be manufactured and remote controlled by a couple of savy entrepreneurs who are in California and Alabama, taking pictures of their invention.

IF it is (as the retired counselor says) used by the national Forestry Service to monitor electric lines and forest fires, then HOW is the device being powered? Maybe some type of Tesla technology? There's that one photo from the second location where "waves" appear to be affecting the digital camera coming from the center of the object.
Could this be what an electro-magnetic field looks like on a digital medium? And is that what it would look like?

Thanks for observation, Tom that they have different structures and markings. I'll try and find some time to look at these later. There's a huge festival today at the Hickory Nut Gorge in Lake Lure, Chimney Rock and Bat Cave, just over the mountain from me...one of my favorite places in this area.