January 3rd – Eagle watch near Lyle, WA; Catherine Creek Arch Loop
We drove through the snow-frosted Columbia River Gorge, with a stop at Cascade Locks.
View down river from The Bridge of the Gods.
At the Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area near Lyle, WA, we spotted just a few bald eagles where we sometimes have seen many in early January.
One adult and two juvenile bald eagles
Bald eagle
We followed with a hike around the nearby Catherine Creek Arch, foliage mostly dormant.
View south toward Mosier, OR
Catherine Creek Arch
Eastward, up the Columbia River
January 17 – More eagles; Lyle Cherry Orchard, WA
After two weeks of inclement, unhikeable (for me) weather, we returned to the eastern Gorge. We began with another attempt to see the eagles at the Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area near Lyle. This time, we saw only one bald eagle near the lagoon, and also a great blue heron.
Lagoon near the Klickitat River; bald eagle and heron circled in blue
Bald eagle and heron again
Bald eagle
Great blue heron
Also seen near the mouth of this lagoon and the Klickitat River:
Salmon swimming in from the Klickitat River
Ducks and geese in the Klickitat River
From the southern bluff, we could see that most of the eagles were down on the delta/sand bar where the Klickitat River meets the Columbia River. I took a few fuzzy zoom photos – we counted about a dozen eagles fishing down there.
Bald eagles on the Klickitat River sand bar
Lyle Cherry Orchard Town Loop: Then we drove through Lyle and the railroad tunnels to the trailhead for Lyle Cherry Orchard. We climbed up the first tier, admiring the reflections in the river.
Eastward view from the Convict Road
As we hiked westward on the town loop, we spotted our eagles circling overhead – it was quite thrilling to watch them for a while as they made their way up the Klickitat River Canyon.
Bald eagles circling above Lyle, WA
We also got a glimpse of Mt Adams from the trail:
Mt Adams
And another look at the town of Lyle as we finished our loop. No eagles on the river bar, but one overhead.
January 26 – Tracy Hill, WA
Another gloomy day in Portland. Cold and dry in the Eastern Gorge. We started at Catherine Creek Trailhead, and opted for the eastern loop to the top of Tracy Hill.
Looking up the slope near the trailhead. Bitterroot and grass widow foliage emerging in the foreground.
Vernal pools along the way.
We stopped for lunch with a view up Major Creek.
Continuing upward after lunch, I noticed a ghost tree with an awestruck look on their face:
A face in the trees…
Ghost tree with an amazing view:
The view is of Mt Hood from this point on the trail.
Continuing on to the top of the hill:
To the top of Tracy Hill
A makeshift bench for a short rest
Just beyond the top, a peek at Mt Adams through the bare trees
And another view of Mt Hood on the return hike.
Underexposed, but I can see the glaciers shining in the low winter light on the slopes of Mt Hood.
January 31 – Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA
Our last hike of the month was another visit to Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge in Washington. There was more water in the reconstructed lakes than during our most recent visit in December, and we saw a variety of wildlife.
Tree reflections in the slightly frozen lake, as seen in from the dike.
Geese gathered near the lakeshore.
Deer near the long bridge
Water under the bridge this visit, swan (and Mt Hood) in the distance.
Tundra swan
Two bald eagles out in the lake.
A great blue heron on our path on the return hike.
Great blue heron on the trail
And I zoomed in to this view of Mt Hood from the dike on our return.
Notice Vista House in the right foreground.
Margaret Quilts 