The Skagit River in northwestern Washington state vies with Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge on the Oregon-California border for the highest concentration bald eagles in the lower 48 states. A few eagles inhabit the area year round, but each winter, hundreds of these magnificent raptors come to the Skagit River to feed on the salmon that swim upstream to spawn. The eagles (and the salmon) arrive in late November and stay through January, with peak numbers from Christmas until mid-January.
The annual Skagit Eagle Festival takes place each weekend in January, with information stations at several locations along the river in some of the best viewing spots. Volunteers set up spotting scopes and answer questions about the eagles. A variety of family-friendly activities are scheduled at various venues in the area.
The best places to view the eagles with easy access are:
- Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport (look for signs on WA-20 near the junction with WA-530). Best viewing is from the bridge, looking upstream.
- Milepost 100 Highway 20 Rest Area at Sutter Creek. Gravel bars on the south side of the river are a feeding area and the eagles roost at night in the trees on the mountain above.
- Milepost 101 on Highway 20. Great viewing right from the road. The river makes a big bend here with the angle being just right for good winter sunrise photos.
- Marblemount Fish Hatchery (cross the Skagit River on Cascade River Drive, turn right on Rockport-Cascade Road). Also check the area around the Marblemount Boat Launch, just over the bridge.
A very enjoyable alternative to the viewing sites listed above is a river float trip with one of the local outfitters.
Photographers need some long glass to get good photos of the eagles here. A 300mm lens on a 1.5x crop factor DSLR camera is just about minimum to capture good images from river side viewing areas. Eagle experts say that the birds tend to stay up in the trees on blue sky sunny days, and spend more time down on the gravel bars on overcast days.
For more information about bald eagles on the Skagit River, visit www.skagiteagle.org
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