Eagles soar so gracefully because their bones are hollow. Their skeleton makes up only about 5 or 6 percent of their total weight; the feathers weigh twice as much. The tips of the feathers at the end of the wings are tapered to reduce turbulence and are widely separated when wings are fully extended. Eagles also use thermals or rising currents of warm air and updrafts to help them soar. The valley edges and mountain slopes of the Klamath River basin naturally generate these thermals and updrafts. Several eagles soaring in a thermal together is described as a "kettle of eagles". The tail is spread when the eagle soars or glides to attain the largest surface area and increase the effect of thermals and updrafts. The tail also helps to brake the eagle when landing and for stabilization. Bald eagles have 7000 feathers which are lightweight yet extremely strong, hollow yet highly flexible. They protect the bird from cold and heat by trapping layers of air. To maintain its body temperature an eagle simply changes the position of its feathers. Several layers serve different functions and enable eagles to live in extreme cold. Eagles migrate to available food supplies instead of milder climates.

Eagle populations have declined due to various factors. As men hunted and fished wilderness territories, food supplies for eagles decreased. Habitat was destroyed, leaving them fewer places to nest and hunt. By the 1930's, people became aware of the sharply declining eagle population. In 1940 the Bald Eagle Act was passed, reducing the harassment by humans, and populations began to recover. But at the same time DDT and other pesticides began to be widely used. Pesticides sprayed on plants were eaten by small animals, which were later consumed by birds of prey, harming both adults and the eggs they laid. Eggshells became too thin to withstand the incubation period or failed to hatch. Also, large quantities of DDT found in dead birds may have caused them to become infertile. Man also had a hand in the decline. More than 100,000 bald eagles were killed in Alaska from 1917 to 1953, as fishermen feared they were a threat to the salmon population. Bald eagles were officially declared an endangered species in 1967 in all areas of the United States south of the 40th parallel, under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. The northwest coast of North America is their greatest stronghold.

The Klamath River basin is one of the most accessible places to view these magnificent birds soaring, hurtling down from the sky to grab a fish, or coaxing a youngster from their huge nests of sticks. The immense size of these nests makes them easy to spot from the river, and every year new sticks are added.

Bird watching is one of the bonuses of a jetboat fishing trip. We also see many other kinds of impressive birds. The osprey is also a large bird we observe soaring above. Slightly smaller than the eagle, this hawk has a wingspan of about 6 feet. Both the bald eagle and the osprey eat mostly fish, but also have been reported to include birds, turtle's, snakes, and small mammals in their diet. Hovering 50-150 feet above the water, they spy their prey and nosedive. This hawk has a reversible outer toe which can be rotated so that it extends to the rear of the foot, permitting it to use 2 strong hooked claws to grip either side of its prey. Dan has seen many bald eagles crash into a osprey and dislodge and steal their fish. The osprey is distinguished by a white underside and throat, dark brown back, nape, and tail, and black eye stripe behind the eye. You can look for the conspicuous crook in the wing and the black "wrist" mark in flight to differentiate this bird from the bald eagle.

The great blue heron always reminds me of either a butler or an undertaker. His blue-gray feathers resemble a swallow-tail tuxedo or morning coat. At full height they reach over 3 feet and have a wing span of about 6 feet. During the breeding season the head, lower neck and back are ornated with an "ascot" of long slender plumes. This large body is perched on long orange-yellow legs. In flight the neck is folded into the shoulders and the legs are held stiffly behind while the huge wings dip and rise in a slow, deep wingbeat. They nest in colonies near water where they can hunt frogs, snakes, fish, large insects, and small rodents. We see them frozen in place, staring intently into the shallows, until our approach startles them into flight with an ungodly screech.

Another shore bird that we love to watch is the American Dipper. The plumb gray dipper is a stocky bird about 8 inches long with a short tail. You will have no trouble identifying him as he bobs and dips his way over the rocks. They swim poorly on the surface because their feet are not webbed but below the surface they are expert swimmers. Their stubby wings are used to swim under the water. The can remain under water up to 10 seconds looking for larval forms of aquatic insects. Small moveable flaps close the nostrils and transparent nictitating membranes, similar to eyelids provide protection when they submerge. They will also feed on small fish and eggs. Because of their short wings they do not fly over mountains to find new streams, but follow stream courses down stream and then fly up a feeder stream in search of new territory. The call is loud enough to be heard over rushing water and sounds like a piece of chain being pulled out of the opening on a soda can.

While birds soar and perch around us, many other creatures can be seen swimming in the river or up on its banks. Dan and I have seen deer, river otters, beavers, bears, and mink, as well as domestic animals such as cows and horses. We usually see what are commonly called 'black bears', but they can be chocolate or cinnamon in color and range in size from 100 to over 600 pounds depending on the quality of the food available. Excellent swimmers, black bears have strong, highly curved claws and the profile of their face is convex when compared with the more concave profile of a brown bear.

My favorite river creature is the otter. They are not hard to spot as they are about two and a half feet long, weigh about 20 pounds, and have big whiskers. Their webbed feet propel them like torpedoes in the water. They spend about two-thirds of their time on land so we also see them on the banks. The female mates in the spring shortly after giving birth to two to four young. The new litter of young will not begin to develop until late in the fall. This process is known as delayed implantation and enables the fertilized eggs to mark time within the mother when food is scarce. The kits begin life in a burrow in the river bank. You will see many holes in the river banks. These burrows are used by a variety of mammals as well as birds such as the Kingfisher. We let our dog Sally out on the bank one day upriver from what looked like a pile of rocks. As soon as she hit the sand, heads popped up and a family of startled otters hit the water. She flew back into the boat as startled as they were.

Every journey up the river is a nature adventure. Breaks in fishing time give us the rare opportunity to observe nature's wonders far away from civilization's influence. A family fishing trip affords the opportunity for sharing a wonderful lifelong sport as well as allowing every member to participate in the discovery of the wild creatures of the river. A Klamath River fishing trip is a combination of "The American Sportsman" and "Marty Stouffer's Wild America". Come and join us.

Columnist Joan Carter co-owns, with her husband, Dan Carter's Guide Service.