Picture of the Week

Panther Creek Falls - September 18, 2013

Panther Creek Falls is one of Gifford Pinchot National Forest's hidden gems.  Since there is no real hike to the falls, it stays off the radar of most hiking guides. There is a short trail from the road that leads to a viewing platform.  Panther Creek is in the Wind River Watershed in Skamania County, Washington.The waterfall consists of two drops, with the largest at a height of 102 feet.  

It is a really unique waterfall combination (here Tom has combined more than one photo so the whole falls can be seen.)   You see two separate waterfalls converging into the bottom of a moss covered canyon. The main fork of Panther Creek comes in from the right and swerves around a corner.  Then on the canyon wall a series of gushing springs spread out over the rock face, creating a beautiful stream of white rivulets. (thanks to Curious Gorge Blog,  http://curiousgorgeblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/49-1.jpg) for some of that description--he gives it *****)

After viewing the waterfall, we headed for another trail "off the radar" of most hikers: nearby Whistle Punk Trail.  It is a trail around logging relics, left after steam logging of the area in the 1920s.  Interpretive panels explain the logging history. 

Picture of the Week

We haven't posted in almost 4 months over the summer.  Lots of pictures, but no time to blog.  So, we decided maybe the way to get back into it was to post the best picture each week.

Barred Owl  - Oaks Bottom, August 23, 2013

The Barred Owl, Strix varia, was first reported in Oregon in the early 1970s and it has since spread to forested areas throughout most of the state; in some areas it has become fairly common.It has moved into habitat of the threatened Northern Spotted Owl. 

The northern spotted owl is an icon of bitter disputes between the timber industry and environmentalists over the use of Northwest forests. Because of its dwindling numbers, the spotted owl was listed as a threatened species in 1990, which resulted in logging cutbacks and lawsuits.

Barred owls are bigger, more aggressive and less picky about food. They started working their way across the Great Plains in the early 1900s, and by 1959 were in British Columbia. Barred owls now cover the spotted owl's range, in some places outnumbering them as much as 5-to-1.

Juvenile Coopers Hawks - Oaks Bottom, September 7, 2013

We had seen a Coopers Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, the day before.  But this day we saw one chasing crows.  Tom started taking pictures.  Then Marianne realized she had her binoculars on another Coopers Hawk--there were two of them!  Then they started playing tag with each other, finally landing in a tree.  

They are "accipiters", birds of prey with long tails.  They use their tails like rudders to negotiate the forests. They have long legs and long sharp talons  to kill their prey, and a sharp hooked bill used in feeding. They often ambush their prey, mainly small birds and mammals, capturing it after a short chase. The typical flight pattern is a series of flaps followed by a short glide. They are commonly found in wooded or shrubby areas.

We don't know if these were offspring from the nest in Oaks Bottom, or one of the many Coopers that were migrating over Portland at this time.   We sent Steve Engel at Audubon this picture and he called them "terror on wings."  They are just learning their prowess.

View from Ecola Point, Ecola State Park - September 10, 2013

One of our favorite places, on a beautiful late summer day.