East Texas Quarterly Magazine Summer 2015 | Page 4

By Gary Hanlon
Ketchikan, Alaska may claim to being the ‘Eagle Capital”
of America, but the Piney Woods of East Texas may be a
close second.
Spotting eagles is a highlight of any visit to Alaska. And
Ketchikan, with 30 nesting sites, is one of the state’s best
places to see this proud bird. That’s because eagles know
they won’t starve here—salmon pass through the area
from April through September. Eagles even hang around
in winter; the water remains ice-free, and the fish keep
coming.
Visit Ketchikan in May and you’ll start to see mature
eagles preparing their nests. Their eggs hatch the
following month, and through June and July you can
watch adult eagles feeding their young in the nests. From

You’ll also see eagles hovering around the cannery
area and fish-cleaning spots around town. And if
you’re walking along coastal areas, look up: eagles
will often perch at the very tops of the trees (the
higher up they are, the better the vantage point to
see fish in the water). In fact, if you know where to
look, you can see five to ten eagles on your own over
a day or two.
Once an endangered species, eagles have been
making a comeback in the last few decades and are
a highly visible part of life in Texas. With sighting as
far north as Lake Buchanan to Lake Sam Rayburn in
the Piney Woods, this majestic bird of prey remains a
sight to behold.
mid-August through early September, the baby eagles
are learning how to fly, honing their flying skills, and
practicing hunting pink salmon. You can see some of this
nesting activity from the town’s roads and others from the
water.

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East Texas Quarterly Magazine

The Bald Eagle is one of nature’s most impressive
birds of prey. Males generally measure 3 feet from head to
tail, weigh 7 to 10 pounds, and have a wingspan of 6 to 7
feet. Females are larger, some reaching 14 pounds with a
wingspan of 6 to 7 feet. Females are larger, some reaching
14 pounds with a wingspan of up to 8 feet. Adults have a