Skagit Wildlife

Eagle Watching on the Skagit River

Viewing Tips

The majority of the Upper Skagit watershed bald eagle population is seasonal. In the winter, large numbers migrate from as far away as Alaska to eat the dead salmon carcasses that abound in the Skagit River and its tributaries. The best eagle watching season is from late November to late-January with eagle numbers peaking from Christmas through the second week of January - about two weeks after the peak of salmon spawning (and dying).

There are many opportunities to observe and photograph bald eagles perching in the bare limbs of cottonwood trees or feeding on spawned-out chum salmon on gravel bars. The place to start your visit is the Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport. The staff and volunteers provide directions to Eagle Watcher sites, information handouts, souvenirs, guided interpretive walks, slideshows, and tours. See Viewing Sites for a map and information about the places recommended. 

Bald eagles are easily frightened away by people on foot approaching gravel bars or roosting trees and also by boats. If you approach too closely, the eagles will fly away, and not only will the viewing opportunity be lost, the eagles will lose an important opportunity to feed or conserve energy. For your safety, use pullouts and parking areas which are completely off the pavement. There are Guided Viewpoints and parking lots at Mile Post 100, Howard Miller Park, and the Marblemount Fish Hatchery. Eagle Watcher volunteer interpreters with the North Cascades Institute staff these sites on weekends from mid-December through mid-February. They have information available to visitors and spotting scopes to provide fantastic views of nearby eagles. Some other great sites are listed on the Viewing Sites link.

Please follow these guidelines to ensure a successful eagle watching trip!

• For the best viewing, try to be at the Eagle Watcher sites with your binoculars and spotting scopes between dawn and 11 a.m. The early-riser may be treated to the nearby twitterings and ‘chak-chaks’ of feeding bald eagles. Eagles feed by the rivers edge where dead salmon wash up on river bars. When eagles are feeding, visitors are cautioned not to disturb or approach them too closely. Eagles waste valuable energy fleeing humans who come too close or create a disturbance.
• Cloudy or overcast days are the BEST days to see and photograph bald eagles on the Skagit River. On days like this, after eating, bald eagles stay close to the river, perching in trees, digesting their morning meal, and conserving energy. On days with bright sun, eagles are more active and a large number virtually disappear – riding unseen updrafts - soaring (or "kettling") thousands of feet above the valley floor – distant specks in a vast field of blue.
• For the night, eagles congregate on the branches of big old-growth trees – like those in Rockport State Park. In the late afternoon, a hiker in the beautiful old growth forests of Rockport State Park may be rewarded with a chorus of eagle chatterings and vocalizations from the night roosts high overhead.
• One of the best ways to experience the Upper Skagit and see bald eagles is to take a raft trip down the Skagit River. Permitted guides offer 3 to 5 hour trips along a 10 mile stretch of the Skagit River from Marblemount to Rockport. The trip floats past the 10000 acre Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area (SRBENA) preserve – forest land purchased by the Nature Conservancy since 1976 to protect bald eagle habitat and roosting sites.

For your comfort:

• Wear warm, waterproof outdoor clothing and sturdy footgear.

For your safety:

• Several supervised Eagle Watching Sites, with telescopes, are provided for your use. Also, there are dozens of pullouts along the highways. If you use these pullouts, be sure to signal, drive carefully and pull completely off the pavement.
• Take care while driving! Avoid stopping on narrow road shoulders, be sure you are completely off the pavement, and please don’t stop on the highway.
• Be aware of winter road conditions. On a few occasions, there is ice or slush.
• Respect private property. We are happy to share this natural wonder but treat us as neighbors.
• Watch your children closely –especially by the river – banks or trees near the river may be undercut and steep.
• Pets should be kept on a leash in viewing areas. Do not allow pets to approach eagles or their feeding areas.

Bring your binoculars and telephoto lenses for best viewing. Again, please don’t startle or approach the eagles. Keep an eye out for other birds and wildlife that use the waterways: ducks, geese, ravens, blue herons, deer, beaver, otter, raccoons and bear.

We hope you have a great experience viewing the bald eagles of the Skagit River. Visit the Interpretive Center in Rockport for maps and directions to other great self-guided hikes in Howard Miller and Pressentin County Parks and Rockport State Park. Also, on weekends guides at the Marblemount Fish Hatchery offer tours of their salmon spawning operations (feeding the salmon is fun for kids!). The North Cascades National Park Visitor Center is also open in nearby Newhalem (about 25 miles east of Rockport on Highway 20). While you are visiting keep an eye out for other wildlife like ducks, geese, ravens, blue herons, deer, black bear, cougar, beaver, otter, and raccoons. Take a look at the Washington Birding Trail Map for more information. To obtain specific information about the Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area Preserve, rafting outfitters, live Eagle WebCams, and more go to Other Links.

Thanks for visiting these pages, and have a great trip!
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Modified November 18, 2008