Richland, WA
By volume the Columbia is the fourth-largest river in the U.S. The Columbia River rises in British Columbia and flows south into Washington where it makes a right turn to flow west toward the Pacific. That right turn is just a bit downstream of Richland. The Columbia River, on its westward journey, forms the border between Washington and Oregon.
Tumbleweed, floating down the river.
Osprey nesting on river channel marker.
Unusual goose
On the shore of the river, there were three unusual geese hanging out with a conventional flock of Canadian geese. What were they? I photographed one of them. Armed with the pictures, I reviewed the goose images in several of the boat’s bird books. It turns out that these unusual geese are Swan Geese, a species native to Asia and endangered in their native range. It is a mystery how three of them got to eastern Washington.
Added 6/25/2011 - A friend of mind did some additional research; it turns out the goose is a domestic Swan Goose. This may explain why I was able to approach it and take several pictures.
