When travelling into Alaska, you quickly become aware of bald headed eagles wheeling on updrafts around hills and cliffs and nesting in trees. These birds are one of the clan symbols of Alaskan natives. However, unless you have binoculars, your wish to see those birds, with wingspans of up to 8 feet, up close is difficult.
The Eagle Centre, run by the Ketchikan Indian Community, with its walk-through design, offers visitors close views of one of Alaska’s most majestic creatures. It has become home to injured eagles that can't survive in the wild. Over a dozen of these magnificent birds would not be alive today if it were not for the centre.
The wooden buildings stand over Ketchikan Creek, next to the salmon hatchery. Visitors can walk right through the eagle enclosure. No glass stands between you and the birds only feet away. Remarkably, the resident pair of injured, flightless bald headed eagles have mated for life and have built a nest in which they lay eggs each year. They hunt salmon swimming through their enclosure.
The centre is currently home to 15 birds: two Harris hawks, three red-tailed hawks, four bald eagles, one golden eagle, two ravens, one American kestrel, one goshawk, and one great horned owl.
Through the care and attention given by the centre, these creatures have become ambassadors for their kind, greeting and helping educate thousands of people who visit Ketchikan every year. Throughout the summer months, the Eagle Centre’s educational programmes provide visitors the opportunities to view and learn about these wonderful creatures.
The Eagle Centre has three bird handlers who care for the birds year-round. Their job takes patience, knowledge, and attention to detail to keep the birds healthy and happy. The handlers also educate people on the dangers these birds face from their contact with modern civilization. While having excellent far sight, when they intently focus on a distant object they sometimes lose sight of what's right in front of them and can suffer injury from contact with vehicles or power lines. If they cannot fend for themselves, they either die or, if they are lucky, get placed in an eagle centre such as this one in Ketchikan.
When watching a handler with an eagle perched on his arm, it is difficult to remember the eagles usually weigh as much as a bowling ball. Try holding a bowling ball on your outstretched arm for a time and you will have an idea of what it takes to handle a large bird like an eagle.
The birds normally walk out in the park once a day with the handlers, which the birds enjoy. The benefits are twofold. The birds have a chance to be close to nature, and the occasional contact with the public is an opportunity for people to enjoy and learn more about these wild and magnificent creatures.