Eagles Are Back in Skagit

Eagles back in the Cascades and Skagit River

For days now we’ve been going up and down the Skagit River and Nooksack looking for eagles. Many locals were saying it doesn’t look good. We kept hearing the stories about how people saw the trees always lined up with them in previous years, but they hadn’t come up last year, and it didn’t look good for this year.

We were anxious and curious. It’s still early in the season.

While most people were recovering from a late night ringing in of 2023, we were out before the sun was up, with the hopes to see some more eagles and better weather than we’ve been fairing in these last two weeks.

We weren’t disappointed! We had over 40 eagles in one spot feeding on the spawning salmon. It was such a beautiful sight on this first day of the year. It seems they are coming back afterall! Fingers crossed, the numbers are still low for the area and the migration times, but it was more than enough to make us happy.

The image of the eagles with a backdrop of the cascade mountains behind the thick winter Pacific Northwest cloud cover is just dreamy. Add the sound of the running rivers, and the spawning salmon - we just never wanted to leave.

Seeing the salmon struggling to make their way up the river was a beautiful and solemn experience. It’s their last days, and the salmon themselves know. They try to make it as far up the river as possible keeping safe from all the threats awaiting them. Many of the eagles were picking on dead salmon, yet, there were a few who just enjoyed picking out a barely living one.

Alas, the days are still short, light gets too dark even before 4pm for getting any good shots. We’re looking forward to going back out tomorrow.

Happy Eagle watching! Please be considerate of your fellow photographers, hikers, and other birdwatchers and the locals wherever you choose to go. Make sure your car is parked safely out of the roadway, and remember the less noise and voices, the more eagles and nature!