[Bald Eagle Home] [Eagle Biology] [Eagle Festivals] [Vancouver Area Eagle Nests] [Eagle Links] Harrison River Area, Fraser Valley, British Columbia

Season: Mid-November through February Peak: December to mid-February. Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival: November 18 - 20 2005 Number of Birds: 500–1600. Visible from one location: 300–1460 (my best!) Visible from jet boat trip: 500–1500* Highlights: Best place in world to see 500–1500 eagles from one spot. One day from Vancouver but preferably a 2 day trip from Seattle. Weather can be excellent for viewing. Click map for larger view. Festival info: www.fraservalleybaldeaglefestival.ca General Area: The Harrison River is less than an hour’s drive east up the Fraser Valley from Vancouver, BC and only 3 hours drive from Seattle, WA. It is 23 miles east of Mission and the Fraser River Mission bridge leading to/from Highway 1 or straight north from the Sumas border crossing. Most of the eagles can be seen from the Lougheed Highway 7 at Harrison River Bridge. The Chehalis River enters the Harrison River creating great shallows at low water (before entering the Fraser River) and in these shallows and the network of exposed gravel bars the dead salmon are easily dragged ashore for eating. The biggest concentration of birds is to the north of the bridge and in the trees bordering the large bay. Access the Rowena’s golf course and get the best view of the shallow bay to northeast. The Rowena’s Inn Restaurant is undoubtedly the worlds best eagle viewing eatery—as well as good food for viewers. The Kilby Provincial Park has a boat ramp and picnic area immediately east and south of the Harrison River bridge. Southwest of the bridge the expanded bay often contains several hundred eagles. And not to be missed in mid-morning, if the weather supports soaring, are the eagles circling over the adjacent hills—but they may be one, two, or three thousand feet up (600 to 1000 meters). After the morning, feeding the eagles soar or retreat to the surrounding trees. The adjacent golf course has an unusual handicap—fish heads and eagles on the greens! The best viewing is from 7:30 to 10 am. The best conditions are low water so the salmon carcasses are exposed during late November through mid February. Nearby viewing sites: On the drive up the Lougheed Highway 7 from Mission the trees bordering the dykes, farmland and the Nicomen Slough often contain a few dozen to a hundred or more bald eagles–a little teaser of what is to come. Trumpeter Swans: In these dyked ponds and rivers and in the Harrison estuary many Trumpeter swans winter along with many geese, mergansers and diving ducks. Last weekend (Nov 24/02) I saw 14 eagles make 112 consecutive passes at ‘mats’ of diving ducks without success. With the millions of dead and dying salmon carcasses nearby this must surely have been more for exercise than hunger. Nesting bald eagles: several nests are located nearby. One is readily reached walking 0.5 km south from the Kilby parking lot along the dyke towards the Fraser River. Another is at the west end of Harrison Bay. Harrison Bald Eagle Festival: Third weekend in November. While most of the eagles can literally be seen from one spot, this two day event showcases many local attractions, from the eagle count headquarters at Tapadera campsite (not open to the public except on the Festival weekend) and Rowena’s on the Harrison River (half mile up the Hemlock Valley from Highway 7), to craft fairs and displays at adjacent museums, to day and evening talks. The several salmon hatcheries in the area all put on open houses. While the Festival date in November is before the largest numbers of eagles arrive there is always a fine showing of birds. And the area supports a few of the world's best locations for seeing lots of eagles. CONTACTS Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival 34033 Lougheed Highway, Mission, BC, Canada, V2V 5X8. Phone: (604) 826-6914 Email: email@missionchamber.bc.ca Web: Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival [Bald Eagle Home] [Eagle Biology] [Eagle Festivals] [Vancouver Area Eagle Nests] [Eagle Links] Copyright © 2003 Hancock House Publishers. All Rights Reserved.