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From the Trail: Bald Eagle Winter Migration

From the Trail offers naturalist-inspired answers to common (and not-so-common) questions about Pacific Northwest landscapes—from wildlife encounters and wildflower timing to weather, geology, and everyday ecology. Our educators share insights drawn from years of field experience, curiosity, and close observation. Have a question you’ve always wondered about while hiking, camping, or exploring outside? Leave it in the comments, and we’ll answer it in future editions of From the Trail.

The bald eagle is a bird of prey found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old growth trees for nesting. Their winter migration to the North Cascades provides an opportunity to observe and photograph them in groups, feeding along riverbeds or roosting in trees in numbers that only occur from December to February, when they come from as far as Alaska to feast on carcasses of salmon that have spawned, then die along the upper Skagit River.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a bald eagle up close and personal, there’s no better place than the Skagit Eagle Festival in Rockport, Wa shington. This month-long annual event brings together eagle enthusiasts, nature lovers, and families for a fun, educational, and eagle-tastic celebration of these majestic birds. Whether you’re an experienced birder or just someone looking to enjoy the beauty of the North Cascades ecosystem, the Skagit Eagle Festival offers a unique opportunity to witness bald eagles in their natural habitat.

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