Grab your binoculars — Seattle's skies are abound with eagles this season

The skies above Seattle have been busy with lots of bald eagles as spring approaches. Some are locals getting their nests ready for eggs — and defending those nests from migratory birds passing through.

Meanwhile, local bird enthusiasts say the season seems busier than usual this year.

Take a walk behind the UW sports fields toward Lake Washington. You'll soon be in a thick marsh surrounded by willow trees and muddy bogs. The 74-acre Union Bay Natural Area is a bird paradise, home to over 200 species. Dozens of different bird songs replace the sound of traffic from Montlake.

This tranquil spot on the shores of the lake is where at least six adult bald eagles call home, and this time of year you’ll likely see even more.

“We have seen quite a few eagles recently and they are building nests and staking out territory. Activity has definitely been more noticeable in recent weeks,” said Ray Larson, associate director of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, which manages the spot.

Spring is a busy time for eagles, said Larry Hubbell, author of the Union Bay Watch Blog. This is when mature eagles mate, build nests, and then defend those nests from migrating birds.

"So they're spending more and more time closer to the nest, kind of defending the nest site from those eagles that are traveling through,” Hubbell told KUOW.

This time of year is also when winter salmon runs slow down in the Skagit Valley, so eagles return to the Puget Sound area to hunt whatever food they can find.

"They like salmon and they also enjoy ducks and other creatures, too,” Hubbell said. “I've seen them eat rats and great blue herons. They'll take what they can get for the most part."

Birder Sybil Kohl said she's seen eagles of all ages in Union Bay.

"An adult pair mate and catch their claws on one another as they're soaring up in the sky, and they let go before they crash on the ground,” Kohl said. “That's pretty spectacular."

Catching fish, building nests, mating in mid air: all eagle activities you’ll likely see in the bay this spring, as well as longtime residents Marsha and Monty.

"Marsha [is named] after Marsh Island and Monty after Montlake Cut,” Hubble said. Monty, Marsha, and another eagle couple have lived in Union Bay for at least 15 years, he said.

This spot, with protected wetlands and lots of tall trees, could accommodate way more large birds. The problem is food scarcity.

“If we could re-establish the salmon runs and get them back healthy again coming into the Lake Washington watershed, we'd have a lot more bald eagles around here,” Hubbell said.

The six resident eagles are looking healthy, he said. One pair is rebuilding their nest lost in a windstorm.

As long as Monty and Marsha can fight off migrating eagles, Hubbell expects those two to be sitting on about three eggs by the end of the month.