Follow the bald eagles

Here's one way to recover from the stupor of watching wall-to-wall, year-end bowl games.

Head out to a spot about 25 miles northeast of Darrington to see the vapor rise like silky smoke from the Skagit River, and hear — often before you can see — the rapid-fire calls of birds that draw an estimated 10,000 visitors each year from around the country.

From late December to late January, one of the largest wintering populations of bald eagles in the lower 48 states is on view, drawn by the ongoing moveable feast of spawning chum salmon found in the river.

Cars line the North Cascades Highway and people crowd designated viewing areas to get a glimpse of the birds, which perch in trees and sometimes can be spotted on one of the river's gravel bars.

And though as the nation's symbol the image of bald eagles surrounds us daily, from the dollars in our wallets to the seal of the president of the United States, people still gasp in surprise and wonder when they see the birds in the wild.

Dana Chace of Snohomish brought her friend Leslie Langlais from Rhode Island for a closeup view of the birds.

“It's my Christmas break; I'm going to go up there,” Chace said of their decision to head to the Skagit River viewing areas.

“We saw about 12 of them,” Langlais said.

Viewing areas are available from Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport east to milepost 100 along Highway 20.

Volunteers with the U.S. Forest Service's Eagle Watchers program have binoculars and spotting scopes available so visitors can get a better look at the birds.

Steve Unrein and his wife Mary Unrein from Torrance, Calif., came to Washington to visit their son and decided on a day trip to the Skagit River valley.

Steve Unrein had hoped to see an eagle swoop down to the water and pluck a fish from the river with its talons.

The eagles didn't accommodate his wish for aerial acrobatics. But a group of five bald eagles perched in the bare branches of a tree across the river did treat visitors to a chorus of chirps.

Becky VanDam of Maryville said she's come to the Skagit River valley before to hunt and fish, but until this week had never taken a trip just to see the eagles. She brought along friends visiting from Colorado.

“They don't have bald eagles in Colorado; just golden ones,” VanDam said.

It was the first time her friend Irma Zwart, who lives in Denver, had a chance to see the annual bumper crop of eagles.

They had counted about 15 eagles “and one sitting on that island,” Zwart said, pointing to nearby river bar.

“It's quite an event,” she said. “They're gorgeous creatures.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.