Eagle Watch - 2005

Eagle Watch is a user-friendly activity dreamed up 10 years ago by Paul Patton, Interpretive Team Leader for Oregon State Parks on this side of the Cascades. A more energetic guy you will not find unless you try to tackle an Oregon State Beavers running back.

Paul not only talked the Parks People into putting on this program, but he got Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife into it, along with Portland General Electric, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, High Desert Museum, Oregon Eagle Foundation and a variety of volunteers — including retired telephone workers who put on a hotdog lunch that will knock your socks off.

Eagle Watch — 2005 is an opportunity for you to see a spectacular variety of birds and rub shoulders with a lot of people who have one thing in common: they are nuts about raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons, and harriers).

Volunteers will help you discern a juvenile bald eagle from an adult golden eagle — so as not to confuse them — and more thoroughly appreciate the nature of eagles.

This year, Eagle Watch will be held on February 26-27 at Round Butte Overlook Park on the edge of the cliffs above Lake Billy Chinook.

If you travel to Eagle Watch from Sisters you’ll have to get up a little earlier than usual to take part because at 9 a.m. Paul will kick off the two-day activities with the help of Frank Isaacs, the man who brought Bald Eagles back to Oregon. Frank will be followed up by Bob and Anne Courtney who will give us a look at the status of Golden Eagles in our state.

The best way to get to Overlook Park from Bend is to head up (or down from Madras) Highway 97 and turn off to Culver. Follow the signs to The Cove Palisades State Park, and turn off when you see the first “Eagle Watch” sign on the road that follows the rim north.

On the way from Culver to Overlook Park watch for Northern Harriers swooping over the hay fields hunting for gophers and mice.

All day long, there will be interpretive volunteers at each of the scenic pullouts along the rim drive. They will have spotting scopes set up and if you stop where Gary Clowers is on duty, he’ll probably have at least three eagles staked out on the rim or in the sky for you to “ohhh…” and “ahhhh…” over. It’s a good idea to bring binoculars of your own as well — AND CAMERAS!

Last year over 500 people attended Eagle Watch and they didn’t go home disappointed. Not only will you see eagles, but falcons, harriers and hawks as well. In addition, the High Desert Museum puts on a live birds-of-prey program at 11:30 a.m. each day, something that you really don’t want to miss.

From noon to dark there will be something going on at Overlook Park — and at any of the scenic pullouts — that will make you wish the day could last longer. Subjects such as: “Bald Eagles of the Tri-County,” “Golden Eagle Food Habitat Study,” “Bald Eagles, Kokanee & Bull Trout,” will be discussed, and the live bird-of-prey demonstration will take place again at 2:30 p.m.

On Sunday, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Federation will present Native American Legends & Eagle Dance. For a look at the entire program visit http://www.oregonstateparks.org., or call 923-7551.