Not long after arriving at Howard Miller Steelhead Park Saturday, Mal and Diane Coghlan walked to the Highway 530 bridge to find three bald eagles perched in trees along the Skagit River, with two more flying overhead.

The couple traveled from Kent that foggy morning for their first Skagit County eagle-watching trip and it seemed to pay off right away.

"Pretty cool," Mal said between gazes through his binoculars. "It's worth the trip already."

Even a driver crossing the bridge stopped in the middle of the roadway to look at the birds.

The Coghlans were among several bird watchers visiting the Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport on Saturday, not to mention the many drivers who pulled over along Highway 20 between Rockport and Marblemount to grab their cameras and capture an image of the eagles feeding by the river.

Eagle-watching season begins this month in Skagit County and typically lasts through January. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Skagit River is home to the largest wintering bald eagle population in the lower 48 United States.

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Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com