If you haven't had a chance to read Parts I, II and III yet, you can do so by clicking the links below.
The is the last installment of The End of Columbia River Gorge Photography series. Originally all part of one hastily posted smothering of photographs, I had to split the post into four because of formatting issues on my new blog.
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| This little baby rattlesnake was stunningly beautiful. I might have like him better if he wasn't so jumpy, though. |
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
