Q&A

Between December 1st and mid-February.

No, there is no correlation between morning times and seeing more eagles, nor is there a correlation between morning times and the eagles being more active feeders. Migratory bald eagles feed during all daylight hours in their natural habitat in which we obseve them. We have seen more activity from the bald eagles in the afternoons than in the morning, but we have seen more fighting in the mornings especially when food is scarce. If they are starving, they will rise at first light to seek new fish. Keep in mind that the Skagit River is dam controlled, and this alters the eagles' feeding habits. Under a natural flow, the eagles will know that the river would rise and fall according to rain and sun (when the sun hits the mountains the snow melts and rises the river). When a natural flowing river rises, even a small amount, it can redistribute salmon carcasses, and when the river levels drop down, the carcasses are deposited. This is the natural feeding cycle of the bald eagles; aside from salmon numbers, it has more to do with river levels than anything else.

There really is not a “best time” to go. The eagles are constantly looking for food and conditions are constantly changing. It can be very frustrating trying to time things to get a certain result when dealing with variables such as river levels, eagle migration patterns, and salmon spawning behavior that all influence the type of trip on any given day. What we see and are told from our guests is that the best trips are the ones that are spontaneous and that just worked with their schedule, and then on that day they went on the river, they had the experience that meant the most to them. We have also seen people really stress out over when they will see the eagles, and then the particular time they go there was an updraft and the eagles flew away, and so they are disappointed…. One year some folks went on a trip and saw less than 20 eagles and declared “the eagles are gone”... and then two days afterwards the guides were on the river and saw the highest eagle count of the entire season. It really is on natures time table, and we find it is enjoyable to relax and take it all in.

It is because humans are the eagles only real predator, and eagles avoid humans as well as the roads they travel, unless there is a specific food source there. Additionally, the floods of 2021 have altered the river signifiancly, and the chum salmon spawning areas have shifted and now none of those primary spawning areas are visible from roads, and so naturally the eagles will want to stay closer to their food source. Eagles feed at all times of day in their natural setting, and they are very well fed, its just that their food is not near the roads.

No, it’s not. We have kept pretty good records of eagle numbers for the past 15 years, and there have been more eagles this season (2024-2025) than in any year in the past. There are definitely fewer eagles near the roads and parks where they used to be as a result of enviornmental changes, but its definitely true that at this current time the eagles are very well fed (you can tell because they store their fat near their feet), and very content on the Skagit, and they are in higher numbers on our section of the Skagit than they have been in at least 15 years

Yes, that is the case for many indigenous people. If you would like to learn more about the relationship between the native people of the area and the eagles, you could research the Salish Tribes, and in particular, in our area, the Upper Skagit Tribe: https://upperskagittribe-nsn.gov/

It’s important that we as guides do not tell the story of the native people for them, however, we have asked tribal elders of local tribes for guidance and information, and their message is one of great reverence for the salmon. For example, the Upper Skagit Tribe has said that “without the salmon we would be nothing”.... perhaps this is why they call themselves “The Salmon People”.

It is interesting to consider that in many other areas of the world, human beings rarely had a natural food source as consistent and readily available as the salmon. It is also interesting to learn that the native people of the area were often peaceful with each other, within other tribal communities, because they all relied on the salmon and they were plentiful. This is probably why the Salish peoples were able to live in cedar longhouses, with multiple generations; the abundance of salmon supported their families in a way that was and is very unique.
As an observation, the bald eagles typically feed on the dead carcasses, and so it is not difficult to imagine that for thousands of years the native people of this area and the bald eagles were able to feed on salmon in a way that was sustainable because the eagles generally only eat the salmon that have already spawned, and have died, whereas the ancestors of the Upper Skagits caught live, fresh(er) fish.

No, in fact, when it is sunnier the eagles tend to fly around due to the hot air creating updrafts (which makes flying more calorie efficient) and so while humans prefer to see eagles on sunny days, you are likely to see, if anything, fewer eagles on a sunny day because they are not as close to the river.

It is difficult to predict the future, but you can definitely correlate the causes of their behaviors. Eagles follow one very strict principle; they will utilize the least amount of calories in order to attain the highest amount of calories. This is the first principle of bald eagle behavior. So, if you would like to think about it like an algebraic equation, imagine that the goal is the highest quantity of net calories, the equation would look like this: Calories Consumed - Calories Burned = Net Calories. The eagles on the Skagit during winter have migrated specifically to load up on calories and build up fat around the bottom of their bodies. This fat is necessary for them not only to have energy to survive, to fly, and to stay warm, but it is the same fat layer that protects the eggs that they will have come spring, so building up this fat is really the highest priority for them in winter. You could think of it like a grizzly bear before hybernation. When thinking about this, consider this example:

There is a salmon carcass at the bottom of a pool in the river, at the bottom of 6” of water. Imagine that this carcass is directly beneath a hunting bald eagle. There is another salmon carcass of equal size that is on the bank, 500 feet away (eagles can see long distances very well). The eagle will choose the one that burns the least total calories. The further distance to fly consumes calories (assuming they must return to the same roost), but diving into water will likely consume more calories overall than flying due to the calorie loss afterwards. If an eagle has to submerge in water, its wings will get wet, and will rendering the eagle unable to hunt effectively for hours while their wings dry, and during that time they would spend additional calories on flying with wet wings. Eagles experience a level of inefficiency flying with wet wings, and they must use more energy to fly after their wings get wet. So, in this case, the eagle will most likely fly to the carcass that is farther away, even though it burns more calories, it avoids the wasted energy of flying with wet wings and/or having to wait for their wings to dry. Eagles are very clever about conserving energy, and finding new energy, because their survival depends on it.

You will notice that juvenile eagles will participate in diving for the carcass with less hesitation than adults, and you will often see juveniles drying their wings, while the adults remain dry. You are much less likely to see an adult bald eagle go swimming after a carcass if there is other food available, because they have learned through experience that is it not worth the calorie expenditure.
Another example would be if there is an ample food supply but it is 20 miles away. Eagles have uncanny senses for such things. If there is likely to be more food in another place, the eagles will make the long flight to the new feeding grounds, if the amount of available calories from food there is more than the energy it would take to fly to that location.

Nearly every eagle behavior can be attributed to this one principle; calories in vs. calories out. This is also why bald eagles prefer dead prey vs living prey; they do not have to go through the work of killing it before eating it.

Yes, if there is competition over a food source with another animal, an eagle will fight for it. Again, if the amount of energy in the food is more than the fight, they will do it. If it is a small amount of food, the eagles will not go through the trouble of defending it if the amount of energy it takes to fend off the other animal is more than the food will provide.

Yes, usually.

Yes, crows can kill eagles, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of crows to do it.

Human beings are responsible for killing off the eagle population.

No. The Nooksack is a smaller river with a smaller amount of calories. Even though the food on the Nooksack is likely easier to attain in spots, there is less of it overall. As a result, the Skagit eagles will often travel to the Nooksack, eat the carcasses there, and then return. The Nooksack eagle spots are often nearer to the roads, however, which makes the Nooksack a convenient place for roadside photography.

Remember that eagles are looking for the most efficient way to get calories, and they are feeding primarily on chum salmon during the winter migration. Chum are unique in that they spawn in very fine sediment in slow moving pools and slack water. Eagles like chum because they are predictable. Eagles like routines (this is why baiting them is so effective). Because chum are more predictable, the eagles will find them and stay where the carcasses are. As the rivers change due to floods and erosion, so do the salmon spawning nests called redds. The eagles will use their eyes to locate the redds during times when the water is clearer. If they cannot see the carcasses they will often wait for the water to become clear. Eagles are not wasteful with their energy, especially when calories are scarce. Once the eagles know where the carcasses are they will stay there. Since there are no bears in the winter on the Skagit or Nooksack, they do not have any real competition for the carcasses other than seagulls and a few other smaller animals. So, once a bald eagle finds the carcasses, they essentially stay there until they have consumed all the calories they need.

Please remember that humans are the primary predator of bald eagles, and the bald eagles, of course know this. For the past hundred years humans have been feeding, and killing bald eagles. People kill bald eagles and they often sell their body parts or the entire eagle on the black market. As a result, bald eagles have learned to stay away from humans, but they will come close to humans to get food if they need to. This is why baiting has been effective; it trains the eagles to come for food and override their instinct to keep a distance from humans. This creates a problem for the species in general because of the unsustainability of this practice, and while many people enjoy being close to an eagle, it is very detrimental to their long term survival to become involved in their feeding cycles. This is why we think it is best to practice leave no trace ethics, and hire a professional guiding company (like us!) to take you down the river in a fashion that causes less stress to the eagles. Our course down the river is pre planned, and our presence is much less bothersome to the eagles than people walking on the banks of the river (where the eagles walk also).

Bald eagles will naturally stay away from roads, as they prefer to be away from predators, with humans being their primary predator. Just imagine if you only had one predator in the entire world, wouldn’t you want to stay away from it, and live like a king elsewhere? Because bald eagles know that humans can kill them, they are often easier to see if you take a boat down the river, to see the eagles that are not near the roads.

Yes, our drift boats, even though very stealth, can scare the eagles if we get too close (eagles avoid humans). You will also notice that in times of very scarce food supply (fewer salmon carcasses) that the eagles will not scare up as easily. This is simply because they do not have the added calories to burn and will prefer to take the risk. When there is a plentiful food source, the eagles are much more likely to fly away when you approach them, this is why when the food sources become more scarce, you will see fewer eagles, but you are much more likely to see one close up.

We do our very best to provide a trip down the river that is of minimal impact to the eagles. As professional guides, we believe that it is important that human beings explore their environment, even though it is the eagle's environment as well. We work very hard to plan and develop operating protocols that do not disturb the environment more than is absolutely necessary for us to get down the river.

The Skagit River is a very big river, and it is very wide. This provides an opportunity for humans to coexist, briefly, within the eagle's habitat, for a brief period of time. The Skagit is a much lower impact option for eagle viewing than other rivers, because it is so wide that you can float by the eagles without disturbing them. On smaller rivers, you cannot avoid getting close enough to disturb them.

You can’t do this reliably without baiting the eagles. But, there is a correlation between eagles fighting for food, and food scarcity. For example, in December of 2024, there were more salmon carcasses than ever in history, as a result, no eagles were seen fighting for nearly the entire season. Not only that, but the sound eagles make when arguing/fighting over food was not heard at all. This is simply because it was not worth it because there was available food elsewhere (why fight over something that isn’t scarce?). Eagles are unique in their way of cooperating with each other. They do not seem to fight over food unless their survival depends on it.

Typically you will see eagles fighting more in the early and later part of the migration, because that is when they are most desperate for food. After the long migration south to the Skagit, the eagles have used up their fat stores, and are thinner, which makes them colder. When they arrive they are fairly desperate to get their fat layer built back up after the long flight. They are very hungry at this time, in general. As a result of the hunger they experience after the migration, they become ravenous towards their food source until they have built back up their fat stores, which keep them warm and provide them with energy needed to continue hunting. There is a higher risk of starvation after they have finished the long migration flight to the Skagit, as a result, we typically do not run our boats until the eagle migration has stabilized and the eagles have had some time to re-establish their feeding patterns on the Skagit.

Notably, during November of 2021 there was a very severe flood on the Skagit and other rivers in Washington. This flood altered the banks of the rivers, and destroyed many salmon spawning nests (redds), and washed carcasses down river. The sediment in the river made it very turbid (muddy), and so the eagles could not see the food (eagles hunt with their eyes). Even though many carcasses were washed to shore, overall the flood made it very difficult to hunt, and made food much more scarce. In the weeks following the flood, there was not a decline in eagle numbers; they were still there, they just stopped moving. After all, they knew that there was not a significant food source elsewhere (eagles are quite attuned with nature, and know that the flood would have happened everywhere). As a result of this, the eagles that year became very thin and desperate. They did not fly away from our boats at all (you would have been able to go right up to them if you wanted to). The eagles had no energy to spare, and during this season we did see a lot of desperate and violent fighting. It was very sad for some of our guides staff to watch as the eagles struggled to survive that season, and likely many of them starved or did not make the flight back north to their nesting grounds because there simply was not enough food.

Well, first of all, keep in mind that there is a LOT of food on the Skagit. This is an ancient river system, with a wide delta with rich soil, crops, and animals. The river has very specific places where salmon spawn, and things like the flood of 2021 are very rare. The Skagit River is such an old geological formation; it is much older than any other river in the area, and as a result its bottom is smoother, and its banks are often characterized by long gravel bars, more suitable for eagle hunting and the washing ashore of carcasses. The Skagit River is also very wide, allowing the eagles to see their food from a long distance away, and there are many wonderful trees for the eagles to roost. The Skagit River is surrounded by such rich soil, and the food chain is rich, so that there are a lot of small animals that eagles can feed on should there be fewer salmon. Eagles generally prefer to eat dead salmon over just about anything, but they can eat squirrels and rabbits, and anyone that has spent much time on the Upper Skagit River knows there are a lot of rabbits and squirrels. So, the Skagit will always have a high eagle population because it is a very safe bet for the eagles, and this is why for thousands of years bald eagles have migrated to the Skagit during winter; it is warm, and there is always food. Think of the Skagit like a Denny’s and the bald eagles are a group of truck drivers looking for pancakes and bacon. It really is a great place for bald eagles, and the bald eagles that migrate to the Skagit have evolved and adapted specifically to be there. They are not going to disappear on their own.

If the chum salmon carcasses wash downstream, the eagles will follow them. However, keep in mind that there is also a coho salmon run that is happening on small streams. If there is a strong rain the eagles may chase chum salmon as far down river as the Skagit delta near Mount Vernon, WA, but others will stay put and feed on the salmon dislodged from the creeks from the rains. The creeks tend to dry up in the early winter, so one big rain will flush carcasses into the river. Again, the Skagit has a lot of food for the eagles; that is why they are there. The bald eagles will not simply fly north if things are rough because the lower temperatures up north cause the birds to burn calories, so the Skagit is going to be preferred over just about anything due to the conditions.

Mountain Lions have killed eagles, and other animals on occasion, but in general this is rare. Eagles are an apex predator, and even though crows and ravens can kill eagles, that is not something that happens very often. The only constant threat to eagles are human beings. There have been criminals found with hundreds of dead eagle carcasses in their possession. The killing of bald eagles has been unfortunately a very common occurrence for decades; even today we know that people are shooting, and harvesting bald eagles, illegally, in relatively high numbers to other birds. This is why we must respect the eagles' natural territory, and stay in the middle of the river, to avoid disturbing them.

There is information out in the public that eagles are more likely to be disturbed in the morning, but that information was more the result of eagles that were being baited near the roads. Those eagles were fighting to get food in the mornings, but the truth is that eagles are the ultimate opportunistic feeders, and they feed at all daylight hours, with no specific pattern other than calories in vs. calories out. So, while we do not go on the river early in the morning, it is not likely that you disrupt them any more in the morning vs. any other time of day

It's possible, if you wear a hat with faux or real bunny fur, a desperate eagle might swoop down and latch onto your head.

No, but I wouldn’t tempt them by bringing your chihuahua. One of our guides has a chihuahua and its small enough that a hungry eagle might just scoop him up.

Friend, eagles will eat pretty much anything with blood in it. If you stop moving long enough they’ll eat you.

Sorry friend. Eagles are wild creatures. They are extremely good at killing things.

It appears so. We have seen other birds such as peregrine falcons, and owls try to harm eagles by slapping them, or knocking them off their roosts. This is likely because eagles are so dominating towards other birds; they take over an area and control it, and we have even seen eagles wait for other birds, such as osprey, to do all of the hunting, while the eagle stands by watching, and then when the osprey catches a fish, the eagle swoops down and takes it away. If you were to anthropomorphize an eagle you could say that they are the bullies of the bird realm, and no one likes a bully, right? We have seen bald eagles kill great blue herons (a sizable predator in its own right) without much effort. Bald eagles are really at the top of the food chain for birds, and it is very clear that when they are in the river corridor in numbers, that the other birds generally do not have as much freedom.

We believe that the chance to witness a bald eagle from one of our guided drift boats is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Our guide staff is very experienced, and while we have made a career in the outdoors and seen many beautiful sights, we are often so enchanted by the connection we see and feel with our guests during eagle season that it literally brings us to tears, so yes, we all think it is worth it. Eagle watching is unlike any other activity; it is uplifting, engaging, and stirs within us a reminder of how precious life is, and sometimes it can be a reminder to be thankful for what we have, and for the struggle that many of us do not have to attain food each day. This is why eagle watching is more than just a river trip, its a portal into a primordial point of view towards survival. It transports us to a place where we forget out troubles, and when we return to our busy lives, we rethink what is important, and keep our perspective…. It can help calm anxiety by providing perspective.

Eagles fly high above us, and literally have a birds eye view on the world. By spending time in connection with the river and the eagles, we can utilize this bird's eye view to see our lives in a special way that brings us peace and understanding. We also can connect with the seasonal migration of the eagles, and see that even though the birds are somewhere new, they are cared for by nature, and they can trust the process and their instincts. We see that mother nature provides salmon for the eagles, and there is an inspiring process of nature that is revealed to us through the symbiotic relationship between eagles and salmon that creates a sense of awe in the functionality of nature, and we can often feel connected to both the eagles and the salmon, as if we are also related in some way to them.

We can also connect with our own families when we see the eagles. Eagles often mate for life, and are often followed by their own babies, their juvenile offspring. So there is a family structure in the eagle community that is interesting. We witness the juveniles struggle in life early on, as the mortality rates are high for them while learning to fly and land on branches (they often land on branches too small for their weight and they fall). This circle of life within the families of the eagles, reminds us that we all have things to learn, and to embrace the people in our lives we have, regardless of their mistakes. It may help us have respect for our elders. It can also bring us to have reverence for the Native Americans who survived here on the rivers for thousands of years, and who lived in a sustainable way with nature.

We think that being on the Skagit in the wintertime is absolutely wonderful. We think being on the Skagit with a loved one is wonderful, and seeing a bald eagle in their natural habitat is wonderful. We are always looking for feedback from our guests, and in general, the feedback we get is a very enthusiastic praise for the experience. We trust that, and recommend the trip.

Our guides spend nearly every day around the bald eagles. We may not be scientists, but we don’t know of anyone that is with them as much as we are. We just observe and report what we observe.