ROUND BUTTE OVERLOOK PARK Each year, he comes for the eagles.

Nick Smith, a 37-year-old Salem resident, drives from the Willamette Valley to Round Butte Overlook Park near Lake Billy Chinook. There, for the last nine years, Smith has gazed into a canyon where water snakes and birds of prey fly.

Its a great time to spend with the family, he said Sunday afternoon. And see beautiful sights.

Smith and hundreds of other people from Bend to Alaska attend the Eagle Watch each year, event coordinator Paul Patton said . The event is put on by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and other groups.

Saturday and Sunday marked the 13th anniversary of the Eagle Watch. The event features food, games, dancing and the main focus eagle spotting.

Thats the focal point, Patton said. Seeing an eagle in the wild.

When the Eagle Watch started, it drew a crowd of about 250. This year, Patton estimated that up to 700 people came.

About 20 bald eagles reside in the canyon by Round Butte Dam, Patton said. Typically, bald eagles nest in the upper branches of large pine trees and lay one to two eggs in late February or early March.

The area is also home to 16 golden eagles and dozens of hawks, owls and ospreys.

People leaned on chain-link fences above the canyon Sunday, peering through binoculars and spotting scopes for any sign of the birds.

Frank Yahtin, 9, of Simnasho, was at the Eagle Watch for the first time. He hadnt seen much and was about to leave.

Frank walked to the car with his mom, 46-year-old Minnie Yahtin, but then heard someone say, golden eagle.

See it flying? Yahtin asked her son, who raced back to the fence overlooking the canyon where other people took photos and stared through binoculars.

Cool! Frank said.

Sonya Scott, 44, of Warm Springs, saw a bald eagle last year, but this time just enjoyed staring at the river as it flowed beneath a cloudy sky.

Scott said she likes just coming out here, listening to the wind and watching the birds … looking at them, instead of looking at them in pictures.

Tribal dances and more

But birds arent the only reason people come to the Eagle Watch.

The event also featured dances and displays from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Children and adults wore traditional American Indian attire with eagle feathers while dancing to the beat of drums.

Theyve had a long history, a spiritual connection to wildlife in general, but eagles specifically, said Doug Calvin, wildlife and parks manager with the tribes.

Calvin said the Eagle Watch not only informs people about eagles, but also about the culture and people related to them.

Its not all science, Patton said. Its spirituality and culture.

Anne Magnus, of Tumalo, said thats partly why she came to the Eagle Watch. Magnus enjoyed the view, but also tribal culture .

I like their respect for the Mother Earth, she said. And how they hold it sacred.

But for Patton, the children are what keeps him excited.

Seeing a little kid who hasnt seen an eagle before – that makes my day.