January 2022
Nooksack River and Valley
Whatcom County, WA
Bald Eagles are around our part of the country year around but they are particularly active in the early winter months, especially along salmon spawning creeks and rivers. Each winter I travel up the Nooksack river that drains from the North Cascades mountains to the Salish sea. It has been 6 years however since I last reported on my trips in a Bucket. So, this is my latest venture from this past week. (see here for previous eagle bucket)
Following are a couple of photos of the area along the river where the eagles hang out waiting for a spawned salmon carcass to wash up along the shore. As you see, their perch gives them excellent visibility of a wide area and they bring along their own exquisite visual acuity to spot potential meals washing up on the shore.
The eagle below was perched nearly directly above me as I took the previous photo across the river.
There wasn’t too much bird activity here at the Mosquito Lake Road bridge across the North Fork of the Nooksack so I went a few miles up river near a state fish hatchery to see what was going on there. The hatchery complex sits about 100 yards from the river at this point and has a small creek running by it where salmon come back to spawn. Hence it is often prime feeding territory.
About 30 yards away from the above pair was an adult who had been calmly perched in a Douglas-fir until another eagle came cruising through. This “invasion” set off the previously perched eagle who got very vocal making me wish I understood basic eagles’ talk. You can see it talking/calling in the photos below.
All in all, I saw about a dozen eagles on this trip. Sometimes I find that many in a single tree. The next photo is from this same place near the hatchery but from a previous visit.
Next is a photo from down stream a ways. As the sun came out at last and the river subsided a bit, it brought some of the eagles’ competitors for the salmon. A number of salmon fishers were out fishing both along the shore and from drift boats. And they were catching some Coho. I saw no eagles at this curve of the river.
And a few friends of the eagles:
In the little creek that runs by the hatchery there were some Buffleheads hanging out.
Ravens have been revered across time and cultures including the local Northwest coast first peoples who still frequent this valley and its river as they have for millennia. In most native lore Raven is a trickster and often causes and gets into trouble. However, among the Nooksack peoples, Raven is also a benevolent hero that helps people. They knew long ago that Ravens were highly intelligent and adaptive. You were very fortunate if Raven became your spirit guide as they lead you to use your intelligence, insight and adaptive abilities to get along in life. Many tribes, such as the Haida from the North BC coast and Haida Gwaai, the archipelago, consider Raven to have brought the first people to the world. Raven is also a traveler who travels not just in this world but also to and from the spirit world.
Below is a famous carving of Raven letting the humans out of a clam shell and thus the beginning of people on earth. This is the Haida story of the beginning. From there Raven went on to form the land and the islands such as their home — Haida Gwaai.
Well that’s my most recent trip to see the Nooksack eagles and Raven. I’ll report on them again in about another six years (maybe ?)
Show us what’s cruising around your neighborhood these winter days.