The Eagle Trip That Puts All Others to Shame

Bald Eagle in flight with fish - not hake :)

I’ve been on a lot of eagle trips. From remote coastal inlets to crowded valley lookouts, I’ve watched bald eagles in action—hundreds of them at a time, even thousands up in the Fraser Valley this past year. But nothing—nothing—prepared me for what we experienced in the Discovery Islands.

If you’ve ever felt your soul tickled by the sight of a bald eagle, you might understand my excitement. I call them my soul birds. There’s something wild, wise, and a little mischievous in their presence that always mesmerizes and draws me in. And on this trip, they were more mesmerizing in their element, on their terms, than I’d ever experienced. There was nothing humanly “comfortable” in the waters they were hunting nor the trees and islands they were “resting.” 

A Show Unlike Any Other

We timed our trip around what locals call “The Eagle Show”—a brief but spectacular natural event when hundreds of bald eagles gather near Stuart Island to feed on hake stirred up by the turbulent tidal upwellings. While it’s often said this spectacle lasts only a few fleeting minutes on a few special days, we witnessed something far more generous.

The tides were in constant motion. The vortex known as “Devil’s Hole” boiled and frothed with energy, making all of us hold onto the boat just a bit tighter. And we were there for the eagles, and they didn’t mind any of that washing machine water action, they were quite literally, everywhere. 

As we approached the site, the first thing we noticed was the sound—eagle calls echoed from every direction, were they on the further coast, or maybe behind the island we were approaching, or maybe on the other side of this one? The answer was yes!! On every visible limb of every tree were multiple bald eagles. They weren’t just perched—they were alive with that eagle energy, vocalizing, shifting, diving behind the trees into the forest and eyeing us and each other. There are very few feelings I can relate to that of the eagle’s piercing stare straight into my soul.  

I’ve never understood why Hollywood insists on replacing eagle calls with hawk screeches. The bald eagle’s voice is like no other: sharp, layered, even musical. If you listen closely, you can hear their moods: agitation, warning, amusement. I’m convinced they’re in on some joke we don’t quite get. Well in this case, I think the joke was every single one getting the smaller fish, or dropping one. 

Two Hours of Pure Magic

Our captain, the incredible Jess, eased the boat into position. We found our viewing spots and simply sat. For over two hours, not one person moved or complained. It was pure nature made reverence. We were transfixed, watching eagles dive with precision, plucking fish after fish from the surface just meters away.

The number of birds quickly became beside the point when we got to first-hand witness their behavior. There was a surprising lack of fights, which are common during salmon runs. Instead, there was a quiet competition: one eagle would catch a hake, and another would follow with a bigger catch, almost as if to say, “Watch this.” Sometimes a bird would drop a fish mid-air—perhaps to dodge a challenge—only to swoop down and casually grab another.

It was apparent that they were taking turns diving down from their perch, going after the openly floating hake, sometimes devouring the fresh fish in flight, and immediately diving down for the next before returning to their perch again. As soon as one eagle went back to the perch, at least three more would fly out to the water. A few times we observed practically all the eagles in the air, trees empty, too many to get a shot. Next time, I will bring my second camera body with me with a wider than a 180mm lens to capture that incredulity. 

It was their aerial ballet. It was a comedy. It was sacred.

One member of our group, who’d recently been to Alaska photographing bald eagles, told us, “I’ve seen a lot of eagles—but not like this.”

And that became a theme over our dinners and fireside conversations. We had all seen eagles elsewhere. But this was different. This was intimate. This was truly unforgettable. Each day we couldn’t wait to return the next. And now, we can’t wait to go back for our next trip, to experience this phenomenon first hand.  

Why We Return

Some of us have started making this trip every year. Even though the spot is remote and rarely visited, we keep coming back. Because every time, it’s different. Every time, it’s awe-inspiring. And every time, it humbles us.

For a few days, we become part of the bald eagle’s world. We ride with a masterful captain through some of the strongest currents on the planet. We forget the noise of the modern world. And for a moment, we feel as if we, too, are freely soaring with our cameras capturing the unforgettable to share with those willing to believe in the magic of nature and listen to their true voices. 

There’s still availability for the July trip this year, and I already have a few people signed up for June/July 2026.

Be sure to contact me for more details and to book!

This is what bald eagles call “in flight dine-in experience”