Coeur d' Alene Lake

Every November two to three hundred bald eagles migrate to Lake Coeur d' Alene, Idaho to feast on Kokanee spawning on the east end of the lake. These raptors, fly with power and precision and can make a good fisherman look bad with the ease in which they harvest their prey.

The Bald Eagle was adopted as the national symbol of the United States in 1782 when it was placed on the Great Seal by the Continental Congress. However, it wasn't until 2024 when Congress passed legislation to officially designate the bald eagle as the national bird.

The bald eagles range includes Northern Mexico, most of Canada and Alaska including all 48 state except Hawaii. Weighing 6.5-14lbs with a wingspan of 7-9ft and living up to 30 years in the wild. Eagles mature at 4 to 5 years with the female being larger than males. Their vision is 20/5, meaning they can see 20ft what a human can see at 5ft. With high-density photoreceptors and being able to see ultraviolet light, eagles are able to spot small marks and details on their prey that are invisible to humans. Their eyes face forward giving them an overlapping field of vision, yielding binocular vision and stereoscopic depth perception like a high powered telephoto lens.

Lake Coeur d' Alene offers a great chance to view these birds from your car, boat or walking the Centennial trail. The east end of the lake is where the majority of eagles are due to the kokanee spawning. November thru early January is a great time to capture a photo or just observe them at close proximity. The Coeur d' Alene resort offers boat tours for your comfort to see them on both sides of the lake. Traveling by car or walking the Centennial Trail towards Higgins Point also gives you a great opportunity. The Harrison exit off I-90 gives another great opportunity although parking is very minimal with very little shoulder on either side of the road.

Grab a cup of coffee on an early November day and go watch these incredible raptors fly and fish all around you. Truly worth taking your time to enjoy!!!