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DRIVING DOWN BUSY I-90 THROUGH COEUR D'ALENE YOU MIGHT NEVER
KNOW SOME OF THE BEST BIRD WATCHING AROUND IS JUST AN
EXIT AWAY.
WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE PERHAPS IS THE ACCESSIBILITY -- CLOSE
TO TOWN WITH THE HIGHWAY THE PEOPLE CAN DRIVE UP TO WHERE
THE EAGLES ARE AND THEY DO.
HERE AT HIGGINS POINT-- THE BALD IS EAGLE IS AS CLOSE AS
YOUR CAR.
BRIAN WALKER IS ONE OF THOSE WHO CAME AND CHECKED OUT THE
EAGLES.
THEY WERE HANGING AROUND IN THE TREES AND IF YOU WERE
WATCHING YOU COULD SEE THEM FLY OVER THE WATER JUST A
BEAUTIFUL SIGHT WITH THE WINGS SPREAD OUT.
THE SIGHT SO IMPRESSED THIS POST FALLS RESIDENT HE
RETURNED TWO WEEKS LATER AND BROUGHT HIS SON-- EIGHT YEAR
OLD CASEY.
I SAW A BIG EAGLE FLY OVER THE WATER IT JUST SWOOPED.
LIKE THE BIRDS-- TOURISTS FLOCK TO THIS SPOT ON THE LAKE
FOR A LOOK AT THE ONCE ENDANGERED BALD EAGLE.
OUR BIRDS LOCALLY START ARRIVING AROUND THE MIDDLE OF
NOVEMBER ONES AND TWOS AND SMALL GROUPS AND EACH WEEK
MORE ARRIVE THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH GONE FROM HERE BY
FEBRUARY.
SCOTT ROBINSON WITH THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN
COMING HERE FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS TO COUNT THE BIRDS.
WE'VE HAD AS FEW BIRDS AS TEN AND AS MANY AS 156 ON ANOTHER
MORE RECENT WINTER.
SCOTT'S NOT SURE HOW LONG THE EAGLES HAVE BEEN LANDING HERE.
HIS OFFICE STARTING TRACKING THE BIRDS IN 1974.
THEN IT WAS SIMPLY FOR RESEARCH.
NO ONE REALLY PAID MUCH ATTENTION UNTIL 1991- THAT'S
WHEN THE B-L-M STARTED INVITING PEOPLE OUT TO WATCH
THE EAGLES.
WORD SOON SPREAD.
SO SCOTT STARTED TRACKING NOT ONLY THE BIRDS-- BUT THE
SIGHTSEERS.
HE DID IT BY ASKING THEM TO SIGN A GUEST BOOK AND INCLUDE
THEIR ZIP CODE.
FIFTY AMERICAN STATES AND 36 FOREIGN COUNTRIES WHO HAVE
SIGNED IN OUR LITTLE BOOK SO THAT IS PRETTY EXCITING.
ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE COME WITHIN A 3 HOUR DRIVING
DISTANCE.
FROM THE PARKING LOT AT HIGGINS POINT YOU CAN GET A
PRETTY GOOD VIEW OF THE MAJESTIC BIRDS.
BINOCULARS HELP--- BUT EVEN WITHOUT THEM IT'S SPECTACULAR.
I THINK THIS IS AWESOME -- THIS IS ABOUT MY 9TH DAY DOWN
HERE SO AM I JUST TRYING TO GET SOME GOOD SHOTS JUST BEING
OUT HERE IS PRETTY AWESOME-- THERE IS REALLY NOTHING BETTER
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT 30 DEGREES OR 5 BELOW ZERO IT IS
PRETTY PHENOMENAL.
WITH SCOTT AS OUR GUIDE-- WE HIKED BACK AROUND THE LAKE TO
GET A BETTER LOOK.
WHEN YOU GET CLOSE TO THEM YOU INVADE THAT PERSONAL SPACE
THEY GET AGITATED-- THAT IS WHY WE ENCOURAGE OUR EAGLE
WATCHERS TO ALWAYS GIVE THE BIRDS PLENTY OF SPACE WE
ENCOURAGE THEM TO USE BINOCULARS OR THE TELEPHOTO
LENS ON THE CAMERA.
WE KEPT OUR DISTANCE.
THEN WAITED.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE BIRDS IN FEW NUMBERS YOU HAVE TO BE A
LITTLE PATIENT ALOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WILL ASK WHEN IS THE
BEST TIME TO SEE THE BIRDS --- IT COULD BE ANYTIME OF THE DAY
.
AND ON THIS DAY THE EAGLES DIDN'T DISAPPOINT.
OF COURSE IT HELPED TO HAVE SCOTT BY OUR SIDE POINTING OUT
EACH EAGLE AS IT ENTERED THE GROVE OF TREES.
SO THIS WOULD BE A TYPICAL POSE OF BIRD PERCHED ON A TREE
,BIRD CHIRPING OCCASIONALLY YOU HEAR A SQUAWK AS THEY TALK
TO EACH OTHER.
WE WATCHED AS AN EAGLE CIRCLED THE LAKE-- THEN SWOOPED DOWN
AND SNATCHED A SALMON.
ONLY TO RETURN MOMENTS LATER TO ITS PERCH HIGH ON THE HILL
TO DINE ON THIS LATEST CATCH.
IN THE MORNING AT SUNRISE THEY WILL COME TO THE WATER'S EDGE
AND THEY WILL START TO FISH AND THEY'LL GO UP TO THEIR
FAVORITE PERCH TREE AND DIGEST AND THEN LATER IN THE DAY
THEY'LL COME UP AND GET ANOTHER FISH GO TO A TREE EAT
AND DIGEST.
EAGLES NEED TO EAT ONE TO TWO POUNDS OF FISH A DAY.
KOKANEE SALMON SPAWN HERE EACH WINTER.
WHICH MAKES THIS LOCATION IDEAL.
AND SO WHEN THE KOKANEE DIE OFF THE BECAME A FORAGE A
GROCERY STORE FOR THE BALD EAGLES.
AS THE SALMON SUPPLY DWINDLES SO DO THE BIRDS-- WHO CONTINUE
THEIR MIGRATION TO SOUTHERN IDAHO AND UTAH.
BUT THEY'LL BE BACK TO TRANSFORM THIS QUIET MISTY
LAKE -- INTO AN EAGLE SANCTUARY.