Eagle Watching

Yesterday we went eagle watching. Every year bald eagles migrate to the northeast corner of Lake Coeur d’Alene to feed on spawning kokanee, a form of landlocked Sockeye salmon . The surrounding forested mountains rise right from the lake and the narrow road is between the trees and the lake.. The trees along the edge of the lake are filled with roosting eagles and they swoop out and skim along the surface of the shallow water looking for fish.... I took the top photo less than 40 feet from the trunk of the tree. It is easy to find the favorite trees for roosting as there are fish scraps littered below the trees (much to the delight of magpies)

This picture I took from up the road aways and it has 3 eagles in it. As you look at the trees their white heads make them easy to spot. Eagle-watch weeks are in November and December and every year more than 50,000 visitors come to watch eagles. These eagle watchers come from far-flung places, including all 50 states, two U.S. territories and 36 foreign countries. That area of the lake has visitor areas to park and is lined with people with spotting scopes, telescopes, binoculars and all types of cameras.

This is only about 40 miles from our farm (as an eagle flies)... Occasionally they fly along the Spokane river and when there is a dead deer they have even flown over the farm... One of their nesting areas when they fly north is at my son's lodge in Alaska so I get to see them at both ends of their migration. A spectacular bird and in flight they are poetry in motion.