Welcome back Bald Eagles!

Nooksack River Eagle

A beautiful winter day on the Nooksack

As I was driving around Lake Whatcom near Bellingham this week, I was greeted by a visitor who I see often in this area.  I came around a corner to find a huge bald eagle enjoying his fish breakfast about 20 feet up in a tree. I stopped in the middle of the road to watch, and after our staredown, I couldn’t get the awesome encounter off my mind.

My friends at Adventure Cascades and I are lucky to be able to enjoy the company of eagles often on our Nooksack and Skagit scenic river float trips. Bald eagles are found in every state except Hawaii, but Western Washington has the highest concentration of migratory eagles in the contiguous United States. During the winter, as the weather cools in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, eagles return by the hundreds to our river systems, mainly the Nooksack and Skagit Valleys to feast on the salmon that run upstream to spawn. The prime season to view bald eagles in our area is from late November until late January.
The best way to see our winter visitors is by joining a scenic float trip on the Nooksack or Skagit Rivers. The eagles hang out on the trees that line the rivers, and wait for their chance to feed on salmon. The morning is a great time to see eagles, and believe it or not, a cloudy day provides us with a great contrast to spot birds more easily. 

Here are a few interesting Eagle facts to get your excited about seeing them on the river with us!

• Eagle wingspans range from 72-90 inches
• Bald Eagles can fly to an altitude of 10,000 feet, and can travel at speeds of about 30-35 MPH
• Bald Eagles weigh from ten to fourteen pounds, and have around 7000 feathers!
• Wild bald eagles can live as long as thirty years
• Bald eagles form life long partnerships, after they are paired, eagles remain together until one dies
• Eagle nest are huge: they can weigh up to 2000 Lbs!

Call Adventure Cascades at (360)393-6815 or (855)723-8738 to book scenic float trip in the Skagit or Nooksack river for your chance to see the majestic bald eagles of washington.

See you on the water,

Sarah