Eagle-watching in Alaska

When fall's cool weather and short days envelop Alaska's Inside Passage, the flow of visitors predictably slows to a trickle. Yet, for birders, this is the best time of year to visit. Perhaps the most spectacular avian event is the gathering of bald eagles in the 48,000-acre preserve along the Chilkat River near Haines.

This great bird congregation begins in late fall and continues through January. Thousands of majestic eagles cluster like Christmas ornaments in the cottonwoods along 5 miles of the river, feeding on a late run of coho and chum salmon. Warmwater upwellings in the shallow-river bottom keep this stretch of the Chilkat ice-free through the winter, providing a diet of salmon carcasses for the eagles when food supplies elsewhere have been exhausted.

The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is an 18-mile drive from the tiny community of Haines (population 1,800), which is accessible from Juneau by plane or via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry. You can drive from Haines to the preserve on your own or join a half- or full-day bus tour. For a real Alaska-style birding experience, take a guided cross-country ski tour or a dogsled tour.

Alaska Nature Tours (Box 491, Haines 99827; 907/766-2876) runs naturalist-guided bus and cross-country ski tours of the preserve. Bus tours cost $45 for 3 hours, $80 for all day. The all-day cross-country ski and bird-watching tour costs $100. Chilkoot Sled Dog Adventures (Box 826, Haines; 766-3242) offers 4-hour dogsled tours to the preserve for $120 per person. Rides are also available at an hourly rate.

The new American Bald Eagle Foundation building, at Second Street and Haines Highway near the visitor center in Haines, is also worth a visit. Its panoramic diorama of the Chilkat River valley focuses on the eagles and their habitat. Call 766-3094 for November hours; admission is free.

Flights from Juneau to Haines run $90 to $120 round trip; for information, call Haines Airways, 766-2646; L. A. B. Flying Service, 766-2222; or Wings of Alaska. 766-2030. Flight time is about 45 minutes. The 4 1/2-hour ferry trip costs $20 one way; for information, write or call the Alaska Marine Highway. Box 25535, Juneau 99802; (800) 642-0066.

In fall and winter, you can expect the Inside Passage to be only 10 [degrees] cooler on average than Seattle. Precipitation is about the same, alternating between periods of rain and snow. Haines Visitor Bureau (Box 530, Haines: 800/458-3579) has information on birding, lodging, rental cars, and other sights in Haines.

COPYRIGHT 1994 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group