Best tour for eagle watching

[mygirlsemandsam]

We are cruising in June and really want to see eagles. What is the best tour for sighting eagles?

[fti]

Not sure about a specific tour or which ports you will be in, but Ketchikan and Juneau have quite a few eagles. In Ketchikan, ask at the visitor center (right at the pier where the cruise ships dock). They will tell you where the cannery is. It is about a 15 minute walk from the pier. I sat there for 15-20 minutes just viewing a single eagle when all of a suddent dozens of them came around. I took tons of photos (only a dozen or so came out well due to taking photos of them when flying - difficult to say the least).

 

Great opportunity to see eagles, fun and free!

 

In Juneau quite a few eagles tended to congregate near the road between downtown and Mendenhall Glacier. We saw a few from the bus that brought us to Mendenhall but the bus didn't/can't stop. But not as many as I saw in Ketchikan.

 

 

John

[CanCanCase]

We are cruising in June and really want to see eagles. What is the best tour for sighting eagles?

 

You don't need to bother with an Eagle Watching tour unless there's a specific photo tour or something you've got picked out. In June, the eagles will be gathered in every tree and on every telephone pole and dock piling looking for fish. In July and August after the big pink and chum salmon runs hit the streams, the eagles move to the beaches to pick fish carcases.

 

Some of the best eagle "shows" I've ever seen (including the swimming eagles discussed in another thread) have been while on a boat fishing for King Salmon. Otherwise, just keep your eyes open and your binoculars pointed at the spruce and hemlock trees... if you're a golfer, spotting eagles is a LOT like finding your golf ball once you've sliced a 200 yard drive... just find the little white speck in the mass of green...

 

-Case

[Mrs007]

Hi Case. Speaking of golf - how is that Mendenhall golf course. I believe it is a 9 hole, par 3 and it is $25 and that includes your clubs/balls/cart. Would that be worth 2 hours of our time??

Linda

[Mrs007]

OOOPPS. Sorry Mygirl, didn't mean to change the subject of your post.

 

And, not sure which ports you will stop, but Sitka has a large Eagle population too. My best eagle shots are from Sitka/Sitka Sound wildlife viewing.

[CanCanCase]

Hi Case. Speaking of golf - how is that Mendenhall golf course. I believe it is a 9 hole, par 3 and it is $25 and that includes your clubs/balls/cart. Would that be worth 2 hours of our time??

Linda

 

Linda-

I started a new thread for this one... despite the great segue.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=9088295#post9088295

 

mygirlsemandsam- If you're as interested in the eagles as some are in our humpback whales, you might consider a trip up the Mt. Roberts Tram... One of the buildings up there has an eagle or large hawk in rehabilitation most of the time. There's also an eagle's nest that you can usually spot from the tram... kind of a "bird's eye view of the birds!" If your cruise stops in Sitka be sure to visit the Raptor Center there as well.

 

I do stand by my other post, also. If you've got other plans for tours, go with the other activities, and let the guides/captains/etc. know you're looking for eagles. They'll help you spot a few...

 

-Case

[TeeBuccs]

While we were in the port of Juneau there were quite a few (Look up in the trees along the cruise for what look like white golf balls - if you have a good binoculars of zoon lens you can capture them well). Additionally in Sitka there is a great conversation center (Raptor center) where you can learn all about these magnificant birds and get up and close with them. After touring the center we hiked the outside trails around the center and actually found several wild eagles living close by. It was a lot of fun and I got some great pictures!

[Lightsluvr]

We are cruising in June and really want to see eagles. What is the best tour for sighting eagles?

 

We took Capt. Larry's whale watching tour in Juneau. Heck, there were so many eagles around, it actually got boring... We even saw one sitting on a pole 20 feet above us on Larry's dock. The eagles were everywhere, and the boat would pull close enough to some of the small islands to permit excellent photo ops.

 

LL

[mygirlsemandsam]

Thanks everyone.