North Idaho eagle watching week celebrates 25th anniversary

A river of Interstate 90 eastbound traffic roars by, snow and ice whipped into a mushy froth. A dozen or so yards away, Lake Coeur d’Alene lies tranquilly in the embrace of winter. Above both the traffic and the water float nearly a dozen American bald eagles.

Standing in between the interstate and the lake, about 20 people squint skyward on a cold, overcast Tuesday morning.

“There is something emotional about them,” said Gary Winterholler. “I love the eagles. We are so lucky to live somewhere where we can get them.”

Winterholler pauses and watches two eagles swooping low over the lake.

“Oh, wow,” he said. “They are just everywhere.”

Winterholler is standing on the shores of Wolf Lodge Bay, near Higgens Point, photographing the birds of prey. The eagles are hunting for spawning kokanee salmon. They sit perched on trees waiting to dive-bomb the fish.

While they watch for fish, humans watch them. The winter pastime draws at least 3,000 viewers a year, Idaho Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist Carrie Hugo said, although that number is likely much higher.

“They look confident and at ease,” Hugo said of the bald eagles. “I think there is something innate in us that knows they are a predator.”

For the last six years, Hugo has worked at the Eagle Watch week, a partnership between the BLM and Idaho Fish and Game. It’s the 25th annual Eagle Watch week, Hugo said.

This year, the event started Sunday and ends New Year’s Eve. People can view eagles and talk to eagle ambassadors at the Mineral Ridge boat launch and the Mineral Ridge trailhead parking area along the eastern shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Earlier in the month, Hugo counted 126 bald eagles. She said she’s going to count again on Wednesday.

The American bald eagle population has grown steadily over the last several decades, after nearing extinction 40 years ago, she said. The chemical DDT, which was in widespread use as a pesticide, decimated their numbers. The chemical weakened the bird’s eggs, causing them to break easily.

Now there are roughly 10,000 nesting pairs, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The birds travel throughout the winter looking for fish.

“They are basically following food sources where the lakes aren’t frozen,” Hugo said.

She said the farthest south American bald eagles have been spotted is Utah.

Some people take photos; others simply stand and stare – either way, the eagle watchers are struck by what most of them call the majesty of the birds.

“We’re all eagle nuts,” Larry Krumpelman said. “You never get tired of them.”

Krumpelman said he watches and photographs eagles every day from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. during prime eagle-watching season.

Maureen Parten and her family recently moved from Southern California. They said the eagles, and North Idaho landscapes in general, are awe-inspiring. “You feel like a little kid,” she said.

Kris Schmidt has been photographing eagles for the last 10 years.

“I’m out as much as possible when I’m not working,” she said.

For Jerry Ferrara, a local wildlife photographer, shooting the eagles is about connecting with and sharing the power of nature.

“Eagles are power creatures,” he said. “They’re pretty magnificent. They’re beautiful.”