Bald eagles return to Skagit River, and so should you

  • By Mike Benbow Special to The Herald
  • Friday, December 7, 2012 3:50pm
  • Life

Our national symbol, the bald eagle, has made quite a comeback since nearing extinction in the 1970s.

A ban on the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides has allowed the majestic bird to significantly rebuild its numbers. Among the areas where that comeback is most obvious is along the Skagit River, where eagles migrate every winter to eat the carcasses of chum salmon, the last of the Pacific salmon to spawn each year.

The Skagit flock is typically the largest wintering population of eagles in the United States outside Alaska.

They’ve started showing up already. Hundreds will gather and hang out into February, sitting in the cottonwoods along the riverbank or feeding on dead chum along gravel bars.

Eagle-watching along the Skagit is a great outdoor activity.

It can be as simple as packing the family into the car and driving along Highway 20 from Rockport to Marblemount. Or you can get a little more up-close and personal by hiring a river guide and taking an eagle-watching float trip.

Eagle central is the Skagit River Interpretive Center at 52809 Rockport Road in Rockport. That’s at the Howard Miller Steelhead Park adjacent to the river. The center opened Dec. 1 and will remain open each weekend.

It offers guided walks at 11 a.m. and speakers at 1 p.m. And you can also check out locations for some of the best viewing areas.

Getting to Rockport is fairly easy, with some nice scenery along the way.

The most direct route is to take I-5 exit 230 north of Mount Vernon and then head east along the river on Highway 20. It’s about a 37-mile drive to Rockport. You can also get off I-5 at Arlington and head east along Highway 530 to Darrington. The highway then goes north to Rockport and Highway 20.

The Highway 530 route is a little more meandering, but I like it better because it follows the Stillaguamish and the Sauk rivers and is more scenic.

Whichever way you go, you’ll definitely want to dress warmly and prepare for rain. And for the best viewing, bring your binoculars, a spotting scope or a camera with your biggest telephoto lens.

There aren’t a lot of places to eat in the area. Marblemount is probably your best bet for restaurants. The Marblemount Fish Hatchery, 8319 Fish Hatchery Road, is not far from town and is also a good location for eagle viewing.

If eagle watching isn’t enough of an outdoor activity, the anglers in your family can take an hour or two and fish for steelhead on the Skagit. Winter steelhead are just starting to come into the river now

The Howard Miller park is not a bad place to wet a line in winter. There’s a decent run right at the boat launching ramp in the park. And if you like the idea of winter camping, the park has campsites for rent throughout the winter.

Eagle facts

Height: 31 to 37 inches

Wingspan: 6 feet

Weight: 9 to 14 pounds

Vision: Six to eight times better than that of humans

Lifespan: 30 years in the wild

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Eagle information

Howard Miller Steelhead Park: This Skagit County park is open for camping year-round. Call 360-853-8808 or go to tinyurl.com/79hlbol.

Skagit River Interpretive Center, in the steelhead park. The center will be open through the last weekend in January. It offers guided walks to view eagles and speakers on Saturdays and Sundays. Call 360-853-7626 or go to www.skagiteagle.org.

Float trips: To hire a guide for eagle float trips, call 888-6-SKAGIT.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.