Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles

The very first time I saw a wild bald eagle was while I was camping in Trail, BC in 2004. We camped along the Columbia River and one morning, we were sitting in our camp chairs. I looked up and was awestruck at seeing a bald eagle circling the river. I could plainly see his white head and his brown body. I have seen bald eagles at zoos but that was the very first one I had ever seen that was wild.

The next year I moved to Kamloops, British Columbia. I work at a call center as a technical support agent and right outside of the building there is an old tree sitting beside the South Thompson River. I don't know how many times I've seen a bald eagle sitting so proud at the top of that tree. I would smile to myself when I saw him and on very rare occasions, I have seen two of them sitting side by side in that old tree.

I have also seen a golden eagle when we took a drive up to the Grassland Park. We saw the golden eagle land in a tree and he had just caught something. On the right hand side of him that there is a feather stuck straight up in the air. This may have already been there but it also may be the remains of what he had brought to the tree with him. This golden eagle sat there for quite sometime before he flew off into another tree across the road.

I have seen quite a few bald eagles sitting in trees by the South Thompson River on the way to Chase, BC. One day I saw at least ten bald eagles sitting on trees by the river, all in one day. The reason the bald eagles like to sit in the trees by the river is because this is the same river that the sockeye salmon travel up to get to Adams Lake.

One day, while driving home from work, I saw a bald eagle just one street up from where I live. I have not seen him around here before that and not since either. I also saw one circling around the bridge that goes from downtown to the north shore district. I have never seen one there either. However, in both of those instances, the river was very close by.

I absolutely love eagles. They are my favourite bird. They are powerful and they rule the air. The sit so proud and soar so freely. I love the fact that I get to see them in their natural environment, the wild.