“For my part, I wish the eagle had not been chosen as the representative of this country. He is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly.”
— Benjamin Franklin
Two weekends ago, I went to see our National Bird.
Every winter when the rivers in Alaska and Canada turn into ice, the bald eagles migrate south. For two months (December-January), they congregate along the Skagit River, feasting on carcasses of the spawned-out chum salmon. This is a good opportunity to see them, in numbers.
I started my eagle watch at Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport, WA.
where I spotted this little fella, right at the get-go, perfectly camouflaged amid dense tree branches.
The Bald Eagle Interpretive Center offers a 1.5 hour guided walk on weekends. Although we did not see any eagles during our walk, we learned a great deal about them as well as the Skagit River ecosystem.
For instance, how to identify an adult (5yr+) bald eagle
And a juvenile one.
What in the world is Reverse Dimorphism?
The female bird is larger than the male.
Why can an ocean signature isotope be found on trees inland?
Because of Salmon.
What is lichen?
And last but not least, what does a bald eagle do when its meal is too heavy to be airlifted?
It swims with it, butterfly style.
The walk ended at the confluence of the Sauk and the Skagit Rivers, after which we were free to explore on your own.
There was a reported sighting of 8 to 10 eagles at the Marblemount Fish Hatchery that morning. So I headed there next.
I saw at least one adult and five Juveniles.
Before a Great Blue Heron flew by and landed on a mossy tree, right next to me.
He was beautiful and I was awestruck.
A couple of years ago, I took a boat tour down the Skagit River.
We saw many bald eagles.
Some perched high on trees
Others resting by a gravel bar midstream
Some watched us as we float by
with great interest
Others soaring high into the sky
spreading its majestic wings
riding on thermal.
If it were up to one of our founding fathers, our national symbol would have been turkey – “A much more respectable bird” despite “a little vain and silly.”
Luckily, the Congress did not agree. And Bald Eagle remains our National Emblem.
Coming up next in the Travel section: Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada
Travel-Gourmand.com 
Beautiful bird captured so well with your lovely photos and commentary.
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Thanks Sue!
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I didn’t know much about Bald Eagles until I read this interesting post. Lovely photos of these magnificent creatures. Methinks Benjamin Franklin was not objective in his remarks.
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Haha I agree with you 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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Wow, what lovely captures! I never tire watching just one Eagle, I would be awe-struck to see so many at once. How awesome with the surprise Great Blue Heron so close too!
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Fantastic photos!!
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These photos are fabulous! Love the Eagle… I think perhaps Franklin was prophesying the future or our Governments actions in the world! Great Post!
Dwight
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I can see that. Sadly true.
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Reblogged this on Roth Poetry and commented:
The Bald Eagle Photos are fabulous!!
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I reblogged your post on my site!
Dwight
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Thanks so much Dwight!
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Awesome pictures so well taken and what a bird. Great.
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A great bird – and great shots! Love the quotes as well.
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Thanks Leya!
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Great panning shot of that eagle in flight!
I’ve only been up to the Skagit in winter once, about 25 years ago or so. We didn’t go all the way to Rockport, but we found a spot to pull over and watch several eagles across the river. My 150mm lens on my film SLR didn’t net me any good pics. The thing that surprised me most was the sounds they make. I expected something fierce and regal. But nope. It’s almost seagullish.
I keep meaning to go back sometime, but never actually get around to making a plan.
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Thank you Seattle Park Lover. I find them hard to photograph especially with all the tree branches.
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These are incredible shots. Did you hear the bald eagles “cry” at all? When I was visiting Juneau I heard them, but it was more of a weird “squawk” than a majestic cry. I was unimpressed, and think that bald eagles are at their best when they are strong and silent.
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I don’t think I’ve heard a bald eagle cry before. But given what you said, I’d rather they stay strong and silent 🙂
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I’m lichen these photos! P.S. The turkey is one of the dumbest fowls, representative of only certain portions of our government. (But which ones?! Aye, there’s the rub.)
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Haha. Well said John!
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Spectacular captures, especially the one in flight! Your shots made me want to go out right now and practice on bird photography some more. 😊
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Thanks Irene!
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These pictures took my breath away! “Turkeys are ugly, stupid, and delicious!” – Friends.
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Agreed! Thanks for stopping by.
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Great shots. It’s always cool to see an eagle, especially the adults. As for Congress, they’ve gotten both ways: they selected a noble bird, but now they’re the vain and silly ones. 😉
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Very true 🙂
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Beautiful birds and great photographs.
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Thank you!
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Your photos are breathtaking!! I do miss these guys while we are in Tucson, definetly worth a trip out to catch a glimpse of them when we are there in Feb! Thank you for posting these 🙂
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Thank you so much! Do check out the eagle count before you head out. Here is the link: https://skagiteaglewatchers.wordpress.com/eagle-counts-2017-18/. The number are diminishing as the spring comes.
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thanks!
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So Cool! I will never forget the first time we saw eagles. They are always majestic.
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Yes they are 🙂
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Stunning! What a graceful, and yet powerful, bird. Thanks for some beautiful photography. Mel
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I love this time of year. I remember driving Chuckanut (SR 11) and there was one standing on the side of the road watching for mice in the farm field, I suppose.
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