Away from home: Eagle watching

The Skagit River area is the nexus for North America’s largest eagle migration. While they are resident in western Washington year round, eagle numbers swell as migrants head south from Alaska and feed on salmon runs in the Skagit River. Our three hour trip on the Skagit River promised a front row seat on this exciting spectacle.

Okay. It wasn’t a great spectacle, though we saw a lot of eagles…perched, like this one, along the river’s edge. We learned a lot about the migration and eagles. The real peak is in December when the salmon run is greater (and I had jury duty) and eagles leave their perches for quick meals from the river.

The river was beautiful. The open drift boat had heaters. And occasionally it stopped raining. I’d do it again but I’ll just say this time it was challenging.

7 thoughts on “Away from home: Eagle watching”

  1. They really are magnificent predators.. so December is sushi smorgasbord time Kay, you will have to try and make it next year.. unfortunately river trips aren’t going to get you out of jury duty 😀

  2. Nice eagle photos. Eagles are great watchers and once they see some fish, they will act quickly. It must have been wonderful to see them up close and in their environment.

  3. Must have been fun, Kay. You saw the eagles the way you are supposed to. I just drove up an Interstate highway and then drove down a busy road.

  4. Sounds like a fun adventure, even with the rain. At least you saw the stars of the show! I would love to watch them fishing along the river like that. (And, isn’t it always the case with jury duty? It never comes at a good time. I was noticed last fall by the feds that I could be summoned at any time over the next 1-2 years to serve on a federal jury one hour from Sarasota. Seriously.)

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