This is the best time of year to see bald eagles on the rivers around the Northwest. As the magnificent raptors converge to feed on the carcasses of salmon that have died during their upriver spawning runs.
Volunteers counted 157 bald eagles this week in the upper Skagit River Valley from Sedro-Woolley to Newhalem, They counted 78 from Sedro Woolley to Rockport, 69 from Rockport to Marblemount, and 11 from Marblemount to Newhalem. Two of the best areas in Northwest Washington where large numbers of eagles gather in large numbers are along the Skagit and Nooksack Rivers. Eagle Counts are said to be higher along the Nooksack this year due to a higher run of chum.
I once saw 50 eagles in one tree on a New Years Daft raft trip on the Nooksack River several years ago. And we counted well over 100 of them on that trip.
The Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Sunday, Jan. 3, and then Saturdays and Sundays throughout January. It is located in Howard Miller Steelhead County Park,in Rockport Admission is free, but donations are accepted. There are viewing areas along highway 20 near Rockport where eagle sightings are very common.
The center is a great place to learn about the relationship between bald eagles, salmon, the river and the old-growth forest.