This year has been a banner year for watching eagles, be it at Wolf Lodge Bay in Lake Coeur d'Alene, along the Nooksack River, Skagit Flats and here at Lake Sawyer. Lots of birds including youngsters and adults. There is something special about bald eagles that really grabs my attention.

Maybe it's seeing sheer power on display. Look at those talons. My curiosity about their habits and behavior led me to do a little research.
- Why are they called bald eagles? They are named for their white head (not lack of head feathers).
- How big are they? Females are typically larger than males, 35 - 37" long with a wingspan of up to 90".
- They can weigh from 8 to 14 lbs.
This is what I call a wingspan.

Their feathers weigh twice as much as do their bones, which are hollow and very light weight. Their feet are actually tendons and as a result, cold resistant. Eagle beaks, talons and feathers are made of keratin, the same material as in our hair and nails.
- How do they stay warm when it's cold outside? Their 7,000 or so feathers have several layers and can be rotated to increase or decrease insulating effect.
- How do they cool off in hot weather? Eagles have a body temperature of 106 degrees. To increase cooling, since they don't sweat, eagles pant or fluff their feathers.

Looks like he or she is having a bad hair day! Eagles are known for their incredible vision. They can be flying several hundred feet above the lake and see fish below the surface. How do they do it?
- Eagle eyes are larger than eyes of adult humans.
- Each eye has two "fovea" or centers of focus allowing them to see both forward and to the side at the same time.
- Eagles also have binocular vision, allowing them to maintain depth perception while diving.

Despite being at the top of bird power ratings, their lives are far from easy. Chicks stay in the nest after their eggs hatch for 10 to 12 weeks before taking flight and leaving. Those early test flights can be interesting. The following photo taken here at Lake Sawyer shows a juvenile taking some test flights outside the nest. Look at how big they grow in such a short period.

Though they get their size early, the growing up process is a long one - 2 to 3 years before they reach full maturity and are able to mate. It has been estimated that 50 to 70% of all juveniles die in their first year and maybe 90% before reaching full maturity. Learning to hunt for fresh food takes skill and practice. Catching a fish for juveniles often takes quite a few passes and more often than not ends in failure. This is one reason, perhaps, why juveniles rely more on eating carrion (dead animal carcasses) than do adults who feed mostly on live prey.
Following is a picture taken this summer of a juvenile "fishing" as the sun rose at Lake Sawyer. Note the color of the bird's feathers. They are just now turning into the familiar black with white head pattern of mature eagles.

It's so much fun watching them fish while competing with other eagles for territory.


How old do eagles live? When in captivity, eagles have been known to live for 40 to 50 years. but when in the wild, 15 to 20 years would be more typical. Life is tough out there.


Best time to observe eagles at Lake Sawyer seems to be in the morning during the first couple of hours after sunrise and late afternoon before sunset. You can also see them in the middle of the day soaring high above the lake riding afternoon thermals, scoping out their territory - usually not fishing if they have already fed. They eat between 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 lbs of food each day (6% to 11% of their body weight) and can gobble down a 1 pound fish in just 4 minutes. discarding what they don't want.
Following is a photo from a recent fly-by taken from our deck.

You can observe eagles at Lake Sawyer most anywhere on the lake, including at the boat launch park and the regional park at the south end of the lake. Enjoy the spectacle!