Eagle Watch 2025
Submitted by Ted Smth, Coeur d’Alene Audubon Chapter President
Our second annual Eagle Watch at Higgins Point was held on December 6th and 13th. Audubon volunteers set up an information table and spotting scopes to help visitors enjoy the many bald eagles that are in residence this time of year. Eagle numbers were down this year compared to last year but there were still plenty of birds and they put on a pretty good show.
December 6th was partly cloudy, windy and cool. 12 volunteers manned the scopes and binoculars and contacted 373 visitors. The wind had the eagles up soaring and several times we saw as many as 12 eagles soaring overhead at one time. This also meant the birds weren’t perching along the Beauty Bay shoreline as much as on calm days. They were actively foraging in the bay just west of Higgins Point and this made for some fun and exciting sightings as eagles swooped in to grab a kokanee for their next meal. The excitement of young and old alike was really fun to share.
Mostly after kokanee salmon, one eagle snagged a trout.
On December 13 the weather was chilly and calm. 11 volunteers set up and manned scopes and binoculars from 10am till 2pm. We contacted 355 visitors this day. Unlike the 6th, the eagles were perched abundantly around the west shore of Beauty Bay. They even put on a communal bath party when there were as many as 30 eagles down on the beach bathing and grooming. It really gets visitors attention when you can show them from 8 to 25 eagles in the scope at one time. Many came expecting to see one or two eagles and when we showed them large numbers of eagles at one time, they realized what a special opportunity they were experiencing.
Ted pet-sits while a visitor takes a look through a scope. Coeur d’Alene Audubon connected with over 700 people at Eagle Watch 2025.
At the end of the day all the volunteers remarked on what a fun and special thing it was to be able to introduce so many people to the beauty of birds and the majesty of eagles. We were all touched by how excited our younger visitors were after looking through the scopes.