Palouse River, Washington
This is a busy time of year for the cliff swallows that breed here in the channeled scablands of eastern Washington. They have recently returned thousands of miles from their winter homes in South America where they have fed on the abundant insect populations.
Now it is time to build their nests. Constructed of hundreds of tiny mud balls gathered along the banks of the river, these shelters are built apartment style, one atop another, on cliff faces. Most have a narrow, tube-like entrance and take from one to two weeks to build. Soon, the birds will lay their eggs, beginning the next generation that will almost certainly follow this age-old cycle.
The weather smiled upon us today as we explored the Palouse River and Palouse Falls. Using our Zodiacs and kayaks, we went upriver, into the heart of the surprisingly deep canyon that wasn’t carved by the river, but by the Bretz floods, massive torrents of almost mythical proportions that occurred repeatedly towards the end of the last ice age.
Taking advantage of the delightfully sunny day, the crew of the Sea Bird set up a barbecue lunch on the deck as we cruised down the Snake River. After passing through the locks at Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams, we reconnected with the mighty Columbia in search of further adventures.
This is a busy time of year for the cliff swallows that breed here in the channeled scablands of eastern Washington. They have recently returned thousands of miles from their winter homes in South America where they have fed on the abundant insect populations.
Now it is time to build their nests. Constructed of hundreds of tiny mud balls gathered along the banks of the river, these shelters are built apartment style, one atop another, on cliff faces. Most have a narrow, tube-like entrance and take from one to two weeks to build. Soon, the birds will lay their eggs, beginning the next generation that will almost certainly follow this age-old cycle.
The weather smiled upon us today as we explored the Palouse River and Palouse Falls. Using our Zodiacs and kayaks, we went upriver, into the heart of the surprisingly deep canyon that wasn’t carved by the river, but by the Bretz floods, massive torrents of almost mythical proportions that occurred repeatedly towards the end of the last ice age.
Taking advantage of the delightfully sunny day, the crew of the Sea Bird set up a barbecue lunch on the deck as we cruised down the Snake River. After passing through the locks at Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams, we reconnected with the mighty Columbia in search of further adventures.
