The End of Columbia River Gorge Photography

With time running out, I will just have to throw some of the photos from our trip out there, with little text. Hope you enjoy the beauty of nature.

Getting up before everyone else at about 6:00am has its perks. I just swagger about the countryside stopping at what I please and noticing the corners of the canyon were the dawn shows through. Below, I took some photographs of the wildflowers. As usual, I am tormented by the fact that I have no idea of knowing what species they are. Any comments on that would be helpful. You might be wondering about that whitish stuff int he middle photo. It's poop. Maybe a coyote or some other carnivore I think. It was just before some real thick brush and it seemed to contain hair.

Kingfisher nest holes. I could hear the chicks inside one of them. 

The kingfisher carrying a crawdad back to its nest. It kept swooping close to my head, but I think I was too close to its nest, so it never did land to feed its young while I was there. I chattered its disapproval at my presence, which probably goes to show I was too close. Next time, I'll keep my distance since it seems to be a more easily disturbed species. 

This might be a better picture than the one above, simply for the kingfisher's sake, but it doesn't quite illustrate the unusual plains-type habitat that the bird was inhabiting.

I love flower longhorn beetles. My previous post had more great shots like this and a bit of biology on the beetle. 

Talus slope. The true meaning of the word.

I'm a big fan of black specks in grey abyss. Actually, this one is an osprey with a catch of fish. I saw another one fly by the next morning dropping bits of down from its fluttering catch. I wasn't aware that ospreys catch ducks... 

"Scorpions love their mothers..." Sometimes just the sight of an animal will make one burst into song. Thanks John Acorn. Don't you just love 'em? I'm not sure what species this is, but a bit of research might reveal the answer. Bellow, is another shot of that drop-dead-gorgeous scorpion and, on the right, me, with that "gloating grin that these beautiful reptiles usually elicit from naturalists," as Alan St. John put it in Reptiles of the Northwest. 

There's the beauty. What keen eyes! Snakes aren't often credited with being among the most intelligent animals but, sometimes, it is more of a mind game, predicting what the other will do, which determines who gets captured- me or the snake. This one had no intention of biting me, anyways, but he outwitted me the first morning. They certainly think and calculate there next move, considering their options and reevaluating based on my movements. 

He thinks my camera looks suspiciously like a predatory bird, like a crow. I noticed that placid snakes would often turn aggressive when I aimed my lens at them.

Get ready, because I honestly cannot get enough of these lizards. Lighting's bad on this one.

Better lighting, perhaps, but angle isn't ideal. More of the sunny side, I think.

That's better; now I can see the characteristic blue patch of the western fence lizard, but the best is yet to come. 

The guide told me the name of this plant, but I can't remember. Should have posted sooner. 

Nice view of the Columbia River.

This is my favourite lizard photo of the lot. You can see the yellows really well behind the head and armpit.

A lizard in hand is better than two on the stone. Above are a couple wildflower photos, as if there weren't enough daisy pictures in the world already.

This place, Horsethief Butte, was a popular destination for climbers, but also a great place to catch lizards and contemplate ice age geology.

The view from the top of Horsethief Butte.

More of those flowers that I'm supposed to know the name of.

Industry is everywhere. Chose one: good or bad. Well, kind of both. Though this place was raging rapids in the day of Lewis and Clark, it is now a highway for boats and barges. The energy from the dam powers the whole town adjacent.

Here's another good shot. This one must be a sagebrush lizard. 

Look how the blue spots show up so well! Of course, I did saturate this photo a little from the original.

This photo is pure fraud. Just thought it looked pretty all doctored up to bring out the pinks. Looks kind of like one of those old paintings of prehistoric times; purple sky, blue volcano, and- Hey! Where's the T-rex?

This picture is more true to the original colour of the sunset. Of course, it is impossible to replicate the vivid beauty that the human eye can produce from such light.

In the morning, I found a common garter snake near the campground, probably the valley garter snake subspecies.

Extremely placid little fellow. I gave him a kiss on the lips. That's why his cheeks are red. 

This little Anna's hummingbird stayed still long enough for me to play with the lighting and background.

They had a bird show at the museum. This unfortunate great horned owl got in an accident and wound up with a buggered eye. I tried to remove the bad red-eye effect from the owl, so it doesn't quite look like it should. 

This is the American kestrel at the show.

Isn't he gorgeous? This is the most brightly coloured raptor in North America.

Another gopher snake, and not a minute too soon! I was beginning to miss their grace and beauty (think of my sorry, deprived state now). They are the most beautiful snake, in appearance and in character, that I have ever seen. Just look at the patterns on his head! I wanted to take this one home. 

He's so photogenic! I was truly, and completely in love with this one.

Above and at left are some of the goose families at the lake by the campground. The always have such beautiful plumage, so I started clicking away with all sorts of angles. Below is another sort of family; buffleheads.

A goose family on their way back to the water after a lovely evening of feeding. Lead the way, Mom!

This beetle walked in a most curious fashion, with its abdomen angled skyward. I wonder if it is a dew-catching adaptation, like the beetle featured on Austen Steven's Namib Desert film.

This little baby rattlesnake was stunningly beautiful. I might have like him better if he wasn't so jumpy, though.

This picture will make any good naturalist hit the brakes; a baby rattlesnake crossing the road. 

  

He looks much more natural in the rocks and grass where he belongs. Just look at that cute baby face! What a little munchkin.

We went for an evening drive into the countryside and, besides, a baby rattlesnake, we had the joy of watching some courtship behaviour of the harriers. The female (seen above) is brown, but the male is grey. We saw him too, but he was busy handling some dead animal and dancing around her with it just to impress. I don't know that she was, but I certainly loved it.

This little guy couldn't believe his eyes, when those harriers started throwing the dead body of his neighbour around. 

Invasive wild horses dotted the road back home.

A wandering garter snake. Yes, it was a little awkward to get a good shot of this snake. After musking on my sweater, he wouldn't stop squirming.

Rivers in these arid regions always have a greenish tinge to the water. Must be all those minerals.

Be sure to click on this
photo of the cicada on the left. It's kind of hard to see so small. The other shot is of a pair of Canada geese. They must have some youngsters around somewhere. This spot (with the river, garter snake, cicada, flying geese, sparrow, and butterfly) was the last stop before we pretty much made a beeline for home. It was a nice place, but I felt like we were in too much of a hurry. Kind of like just getting a little taste.

This is one of my favourite photos. People were yelling, "Hurry up!" and I wish I could have waited to get a good shot of him singing.

A swallowtail butterfly heads off into the grass, marking the end of a great family trip. I just wish I had time to post on my trip to California. Oh, well. Maybe next year. Of course, by then, I'll have brand new stories to tell.