THE GORGE — On Christmas Eve, President Biden signed a bill officially designating the bald eagle as the U.S.’s national bird. Already considered the national symbol, the species had never received this official designation.

The next day, local photographer Gary Elkinton spotted about four dozen bald eagles between The Dalles and Lyle, Washington. The photos at right were taken near the Klickitat River, where 17 of the newly-minted national emblems perched in a single tree.